Knowing Scarlett
by LadyBJKD
Summary: Some of Scarlett's demons are coming to light and Reid is trying to help her learn to deal with them instead of running away. *Second in Scarlett series; see: Remembering Scarlett* Please leave reviews, I appreciate every one of them! Special thanks to CatGurl83 for the beta readings, I wouldn't want to do this without you! Becky
1. Chapter 1

_Knowing Scarlett _

Chapter 1

The next few months passed quickly into summer. Spencer was rushing into work after being uncharacteristically late. He'd waited until the last minute to leave Scarlett since she had her final evaluation today with Dr. Cannon, and Reid was nervous ever since Penelope had told him today was the anniversary of John's death. Garcia was worried about her friend and had informed Spencer of the significance of today's date, in case Scarlett had failed to mention it. Which she had, and that pissed him off somewhat. After them being together for almost five months, he'd hoped she wouldn't be keeping such things from him…

Reid shook off the thought as he entered the bullpen. Throwing his messenger bag across his chair, he looked around and found Morgan and Garcia over by the coffee maker. He headed over to join them.

"Late night, pretty boy?" Morgan teased and pulled Reid's hair forward over his eyes.

Spencer laughed and pushed his hair back.

"Late morning," he joked back. He became serious, quickly looked around and confided in his friends. "I went with Scarlett to Dr. Cannon's office. She's got her last meeting with her today."

Morgan scowled. "I wonder if they picked today on purpose…"

"Did she seem alright?" Garcia asked at the same time.

Spencer shrugged and dumped sugar into his mug. "She seemed fine. No nightmares last night and I stayed up most of the night waiting for it," he said. "But she didn't even say anything. I wouldn't even have known if you hadn't told me," he said to Penelope.

Garcia scowled. "Maybe she didn't want you to know. She gets all itchy when people treat her differently… Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," she chewed on the stirrer in her hand nervously.

"Baby girl, you didn't do anything wrong. Scarlett knows we know, so she knows Reid knows. She's just trying to work her way through it her own way. As usual…" he added.

"But now we always go out on Fridays, as long as we are all here and I haven't heard anything about a new case in the immediate future, so I don't know if I should cancel out tonight or if we should just go as planned…" Garcia rambled out the sentence in a flurry of concern.

Reid caught her worried gaze. "I think Scarlett will want to keep everything as normal as possible. That's how it seemed to me this morning anyway. I'll mention it to her when I see her later and we'll go from there."

Penelope nodded. "Okay, okay. But if she does decide to go out and we have a repeat of last year, someone is going to have to be a designated driver," she said. "We both got trashed last year but we were camped out at her apartment," she stopped and considered something.

"Which is fine too, if that's what she wants to do- we can just have a girls night sleepover…." Garcia saw a look come across Reid's face. "Sorry, kiddo, but sometimes you just want to pour your heart out with the girls… no offense."

Spencer shifted slightly and shrugged. He really hoped she'd want to be with him if she was upset about anything. "I can mention it is an option," he told Penelope. "Whatever she wants, its fine with me…"

"Uh huh, sure. I know you'd much rather lock her up in a tower somewhere so nothing can ever touch her or hurt her ever again, sweetie. But nice try," she teased.

"I'll work on the delivery," Spencer smiled. "It really is up to her."

With that decided they each headed back to their respective areas to hit the paperwork that always was awaiting any downtime.

Spencer removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes after reading through his stack of files. It was a blessing to be able to go through the paperwork so quickly, but the downside was that he saw his friends were still swamped. He went around to each desk taking another stack from their piles and started again.

Next hour into the files, he felt something touch the back of his neck and he jumped.

"Jesus, Spence… sorry, I didn't realize you were so engrossed," he heard Scarlett's voice and turned. "I didn't mean to scare you, hon." She shifted back slightly.

"I need to get you a bell," he stood up and stretched. "You are as quiet as a cat," he teased. He looked around quickly to see if anyone was watching and dropped a quick kiss to her cheek.

"I was talking to you… I asked if you were ready for a break," she laughed. "You didn't even hear me speaking so I don't think a bell would help at all," she leaned forward and breathed in his scent. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"How'd your meeting go?" he asked her quietly.

"Fine," she said noncommittally. "Just the usual crap," she shrugged. She pointed to the stack of files on the desk. "You on a mission?" she joked, changing the subject.

"I guess. I didn't have you here to distract me so I decided to get some work done," he teased and tugged her braid.

"Mmm-hmm. Well I think you need a distraction… let's take a walk, okay?" she asked, looking up at him.

Spencer felt his throat tighten at the look in her eyes. He could see the pain there now. He nodded, grabbed up his sweater and followed her outside.

"So," he began, taking up her hand and intertwining their fingers. "How'd it really go, beautiful?" he asked again once they were outside.

Reid stopped walking and tucked his sweater around her shoulders against the breeze. She looked swallowed up in the length and it occurred to him how small and fragile she looked. Penelope was right when she'd mentioned earlier about him wanting to keep her away from any hurt or pain. He'd do anything to protect her. He felt her sigh and put a finger under her chin so she had to look up and meet his eyes.

"I thought I could get through today without any problem," she admitted softly. "I felt like if I could just ignore it, I could get through without it touching me…" she watched the concern in his eyes.

"I knew you'd know. Someone had to have told you. And when everything just seemed so 'normal' I just thought, if I could just pretend, then I'd be alright…"

"Something happened with Dr. Cannon?" Spencer asked gently.

Scarlett nodded. "It wasn't a flashback," she clarified. "I just started talking and all this stuff came out that I didn't know I was even thinking- I just hate opening up like that to a stranger. I wish you were there," she told him, moving into his embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," he said hugging her tightly.

"No, don't be, I didn't mean it like that. You couldn't be. But I realized I have to talk more when things are bothering me instead of just sticking my head in the sand. I want to learn how to let things out."

"You can talk to me about anything, Katy. I'm always here for you, you have to know that. Even if I don't have the answers, I can listen…"

She smiled. "I know. I'm sorry for not telling you myself about today. I'm sorry I didn't talk about it with you. I promise I won't ever shut you out, farm boy. I just didn't realize that's what I was doing…" she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his neck. "Forgive me?"

Spencer thought of his earlier irritation about her not mentioning anything to him. "There's nothing to forgive Scarlett," he told her and kissed her lips firmly. "I knew when you were ready, you'd talk."

She leaned her head against his chest. "Do you have any idea how much I love you, Spencer?"

He wrapped his arms around her holding her close. "I have a clue…" he said. "Probably somewhere around how much I love you," he smiled and kissed her hair.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They ended up going out that night to a small bar in town. The entire team had decided to take advantage of the lull and enjoy themselves.

Scarlett was laughing as Penelope dragged her out on the dance floor once again. The DJ was playing a wide variety of songs and also allowing time for karaoke for those who wanted to try a hand at singing. She was glad that she opted to come out with her friends tonight. She glanced over her shoulder to where Spencer was sitting at a table with her brother, JJ and Will. Blake and Rossi occupied the table beside them, along with Hotch and Beth, who had managed to make some time to come out tonight.

Reid caught her eye and smiled as Garcia hauled her back out to the floor to dance again. He realized that he recognized at least most of the songs the DJ played, due to Scarlett. He sat back and watched his girlfriend move across the dance floor gracefully. A quick look told him he wasn't her only admirer, either. Several others followed her quick shimmy as she moved with Garcia to Katy Perry's "I kissed a Girl". He just shook his head and laughed along with Morgan as the two girls danced together and Penelope actually dipped Scarlett quite expertly.

Scarlett came back to the table out of breath and grabbed her drink. There wasn't much left. "I'll be right back," she said to everyone as she headed towards the bar.

"I'll get it, Katy," Spencer said, taking her glass. "Take a breather," he joked. He moved closer wrapping his arm around her and gave her a deep kiss. "Does anyone else want a refill?" he asked taking orders, disregarding the look of shock on Scarlett's face.

As he left the table, Scarlett raised an eyebrow to Penelope and JJ. "What was that for?" she asked, wondering about Spencer's sudden uncharacteristic public display of affection.

Derek barked out a laugh. "Are you serious?" he asked watching Scarlett look at him quizzically. "Sis, that's called 'marking your territory'. You have half the men and some of the women here watching you. He's just putting out the bulletin that you are with him…" he teased.

"Oh, come on, Morgan," JJ said. "Spence isn't like that…"

Will snorted. "Sweetheart, all men are like that…"

"Hey- I call it like I see it," Morgan shrugged. "Reid is going alpha tonight," he smiled. "I guarantee it."

"I'm not complaining," Scarlett stated as she turned and watched Spencer move across the room.

He looked different in the jeans, faded black t-shirt and open button down dress shirt that he'd opted to wear out tonight. The fact that he wore his gun at the small of his back gave him an extra edgy look. He hadn't been forthcoming with his reason behind wearing it but finally admitted that he knew that where the bar was located wasn't exactly stellar as far as safety went, and Scarlett dropped the subject. She knew he wouldn't have worn it if he hadn't been truly concerned. She'd noticed Derek's arm holster hidden under his jacket also, so it was clear neither of them thought very highly of the area.

When Spencer returned and set the drinks on the table, Scarlett turned on her seat and pulled him close. If he was going to mark her as his, she figured she deserved the same right. After all, more than one set of eyes had followed him over to the bar.

"So you having fun, farm boy?" she asked as she tugged on his shirt, pulling him in for another kiss.

Spencer returned the kiss and placed a protective arm around her back, holding her close. "So far," he answered with a hint of humor in his eyes. "But nobody's tried singing yet though," he grinned.

"Oh, they will," she laughed. "As soon as more alcohol hits the blood stream…"

Garcia looked over at Scarlett. "You're going to sing, aren't you Scarlett? I picked this place specifically for the karaoke, so you have to sing…" she ordered.

Scarlett dropped her head and blushed. "Penny, it's a bit different than karaoke at home or singing in the shower…"

"Oh, come on… nobody knows you, so what does it matter?" Penelope pouted.

"Okay, then what are you going to sing, baby girl?" Morgan asked Garcia.

"I was thinking 'Girls just wanna have Fun'," she said with a smile that told them she meant to do it.

Scarlett laughed. "Okay, Pen, if you're brave enough to sing, then I'll try it too…" she laughed. "No promises though that it won't suck."

Penelope grabbed two books from the DJ and some papers to write down their selections on. "No chickening out," she warned. JJ laughed. "And you are singing too, JJ. Nobody is safe tonight…" she said with a grin.

"Oh, boy…" Will rolled his eyes but smiled and kissed his wife on the cheek.

The DJ clearly knew when his audience had enough drinks to begin calling people up to sing. Some were so drunk they couldn't read the words on the screen and others were surprisingly good. He called several back up after the audience clearly approved. When he called Scarlett up, she threw a look to Penelope and JJ.

"Come up with me at least for moral support!" she said nervously.

"Don't worry sweet girl, we'll be your back up singers," Garcia grabbed JJ's hand and the three hit the stage.

Scarlett took the mike as the DJ cued up the song she chose. Will looked over at Reid and Morgan.

"Can she sing?" he asked watching JJ hiding behind Garcia.

"She does…" Morgan stated with a grin. "Sometimes very well depending on the song…"

Reid watched as Scarlett caught his eye. As the music began he looked at Will and Morgan.

"This one she does," he said as he heard "True Colors" start to play over the speakers.

Scarlett smiled at him and the room became quiet as she belted out the Cyndi Lauper song in perfect pitch. She became more comfortable as the song continued, keeping her eyes locked on Spencer, singing the lyrics just for him.

_You with the sad eyes, Don't be discouraged, Oh, I realize..._

_It's hard to take courage, In a world full of people... You can lose sight of it all._

_And the darkness there inside you, Makes you feel so small... But I see your true colors Shining through I see your true colors, And that's why I love you! _

_So don't be afraid to let them show, Your true colors... True colors... Are beautiful like a rainbow _

_Show me a smile then, Don't be unhappy... Can't remember when I last saw you laughing._

_If this world makes you crazy, And you've taken all you can bear- Just call me up, Because you know I'll be there!_

_And I'll see your true colors, Shining through- I see your true colors - And that's why I love you! _

_So don't be afraid to let them show, Your true colors, Your true colors_

_Are beautiful like a rainbow _

_Can't remember when I last saw you laughing, If this world makes you crazy, You've taken all you can bear- Just call me up, Because you know I'll be there!_

_And I'll see your true colors, Shining through! I see your true colors, And that's why I love you!_

_So don't be afraid to let them show, Your true colors- True colors, True colors- are shining through!_

_I see your true colors And that's why I love you!_

_So don't be afraid to let them show - Your true colors, True colors -Are beautiful like a rainbow..._

When the song ended, Reid met Scarlett at the stage and helped her down. She stood on the step so she was face to face with him and looped her arms around his neck.

"So, it didn't suck?" she asked and he laughed.

"Not at all. I'm sure the DJ has you on his recall list…" he told her. Spencer nudged her cheek with his nose.

"I love you too, crazy girl..." he teased, indicating he noticed she sang the lyrics for him.

Scarlett grinned and caught his lips to hers in a kiss.

"Then maybe you'll sing something with me?" she tipped her head to the side and leaned her cheek against his.

Spencer held onto her and enjoyed the feeling of her nipping lightly at his lips before he pulled her in and kissed her back.

"I don't sing Scarlett. It'd be worse than my dancing," he joked.

"I think you dance fine, farm boy…"

He smiled and pulled her to the dance floor. "I'll sing to you in private then, okay? Just for you," he said as he wrapped his arms around her and they danced as the song "Soul Sister" by Train began to play.

Scarlett smiled as he softly sang the words into her ear. They moved slowly on the floor, lost in their own little world. She let his voice and his words become stamped into her memories.

_Hey, hey, hey… Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left-side brains I knew I wouldn't forget you And so I went and let you Blow my mind… Your sweet moonbeam The smell of you in every Single dream I dream I knew when we collided You're the one I have decided Who's one of my kind… Hey soul sister Ain't that mister mister On the radio, stereo The way you move ain't fair, you know Hey soul sister I don't wanna miss A single thing you do Tonight._

_Hey, hey, hey … Just in time I'm so glad you have a one track mind like me You gave my life direction A game show love connection We can't deny… I'm so obsessed My heart is bound to beat Right out my untrim chest I believe in you Like a virgin, you're Madonna And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind Hey soul sister Ain't that mister mister On the radio, stereo The way you move ain't fair, you know  
Hey soul sister I don't wanna miss A single thing you do Tonight._

When the music changed tempo, Spencer pulled back a bit and watched her face as he sang the final verse.

_The way you can cut a rug Watching you is the only drug I need So gangster, I'm so thug You're the only one I'm dreaming of You see, I can be myself now finally In fact there's nothing I can't be I want the world to see you'll be with me Hey soul sister Ain't that mister mister On the radio, stereo The way you move ain't fair, you know Hey soul sister I don't wanna miss A single thing you do Tonight Hey soul sister  
I don't wanna miss A single thing you do Tonight Hey, hey, hey Tonight Hey, hey, hey Tonight_

He grinned when she laughed and hugged him close. Scarlett tipped her head back and kissed his neck.

"You sing fine to my ears, handsome," she told him.

"Then I am glad you are tone deaf," he laughed and hugged her close again leading her back to their table.

Morgan grinned as the couple made their way back to the table. "I think you owe me a dance, little sister..." he told Scarlett as he took her hand, pulling her back out on the floor.

"You having fun, little one?" he asked as he spun her around on the floor once more.

"Yes, actually," Scarlett grinned. "I'm having a blast..."

"Good," Derek pulled her close into a one armed hug as the song ended. They started to head back to the table as the DJ called her and Penelope back up to the stage.

"You're up," he teased as he handed her over to Penelope. Scarlett laughed as she allowed herself to be dragged back up on stage.

The night rolled on and they stayed until last call, enjoying the music and company of friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Scarlett opened her door and dragged Spencer in behind her. She kicked the door shut and hopped up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He grabbed her quickly and stepped forward to counterbalance the unexpected weight shift.

"Hey, crazy girl, a little warning," he laughed as she rained light kisses over his face.

"Hey, farm boy, take me to bed and make me scream," she demanded and laughed at the look that crossed his face. "Enough warning?" she asked cheekily.

"You are going to be the death of me, Katy Scarlett…" he muttered as he carried her to the bedroom.

"Why?" she asked as he kicked his shoes off and she pulled his shirt over his head. She sat back on the bed after removing her clothes and watched him strip. He stopped and looked at her warily.

"Because you say and do things that make my heart stop. I don't know how many times it's supposed to be able to do that," he said kneeling on the bed in front of her.

Scarlett laid her palm to his chest covering his heart. "It doesn't stop, Spence. It just stutters a little…" she told him.

He lifted her chin and kissed her. "How do you know that?" he asked.

"Because mine does it every time I see you, handsome… if yours stopped mine would too," she said softly. She moved in front of him so they were against each other and pressed his hand to her chest. He could feel her heart beating against his hand.

"See? It beats for you," she said reaching up to thread her fingers through his hair and pulled him down into her kiss. "Didn't you know that?" she whispered throatily.

"Scarlett…" he could feel heat spreading throughout his body. He leaned into her, pressing her back into the mattress. He covered her body in light kisses and nipped along her collar bone because he knew it made her crazy. When she pulled him forward, he grinned wickedly.

"You wanted me to make you scream, right?" he asked as he lavished her skin with hot kisses. "As you wish…" he teased.

When he reached her navel and proceeded lower, her breathing hitched and he felt her shiver. Dropping a kiss to the inside of her thigh, he used his tongue against her womanhood until he felt her body respond and ready to climax.

Scarlett grabbed his hair and pulled him back up across her body. "Stop, now… I want to come with you inside me," she panted out. She arched against him as he slid inside her and her body answered almost immediately.

She kissed him, drawing his weight down, pinning herself to the bed. The muscles across his back tensed and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper. They moved in unison, heat pulsing between them with each thrust. Spencer held himself in check until he felt her body begin to tighten again. Scarlett felt his body react and release and she arched back to accept him fully as his climax shuddered over him.

Spent, he dropped on top of her, their body heat making them slick with sweat. Spencer kissed her gently and moved to the side, dragging her close to his chest. She lay there for a while and listened to his ragged breathing and the steady thrum of his heart under her ear.

Scarlett stroked her fingers lightly across his chest. When his hand passed along her cheek she turned and kissed it. She could tell the moment he drifted off when his breathing changed. Raising herself up slightly on one arm, she looked down at his sleeping face.

"I love you, Spencer Reid," she said in a soft whisper, gently tracing the line of his cheekbones and jaw. She watched him rest, letting her senses have free reign over the moment. Lowering her head to the pillow, she fell asleep curled into him.

When the pre-dawn light woke him, Spencer opened his eyes to see Scarlett's face only inches from his own. He smiled as he watched her eyes tracking under her lids and wondered what she was dreaming about. Shifting slightly, trying not to wake her, he leaned in and stole a kiss from her parted lips. Her brows furrowed slightly. Spencer smiled as she curled in closer to him and yawned.

"It's too early for you to be awake, handsome," she said sleepily.

"Probably," he looked over at the clock. "I forgot to shut the curtains…"

"Mmm, so go back to sleep…" she tugged his arm and pillowed her head against his bicep. She could feel him watching her and cracked her eye open to look at him.

"What are you thinking Spence?" she said as she saw something in his eyes. She reached up and stroked his cheek. "You look sad," she told him concern marring her own features.

Spencer cleared his throat. "No, Scarlett. Not sad…"

"Then what?" she sat up beside him, watching his face as he tried to hide what was running through his mind.

"No…" she said firmly. "Don't do that. Tell me what you were just thinking, Spencer…"

Reid sighed and rolled his eyes. "You know, dating a profiler really sucks sometimes," he tried to joke his way out of the conversation.

Scarlett gave a half-hearted smile. "Tell me about it…"

Spencer ducked his head down knowing by the look on her face she still wanted an answer. "It was nothing Scarlett, okay. Just an errant thought that crossed my mind," he looked up to meet her eyes. "Let's just drop it, please?" he asked.

How could he tell her he'd been daydreaming about her being pregnant? He didn't have a lot of experience in relationships, but he was pretty certain after only dating five months, that she wasn't thinking about having his baby. He couldn't even understand where these thoughts were stemming from… usually his brain didn't obsess about random things without a reason. With that, something clicked in his mind.

"You are doing it again…" he heard her voice as if from far away as an intangible idea buzzed through his head until it became a solid thought.

Scarlett watched as his eyes stared blankly at the wall and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She saw so much emotion run across his face in those few moments that she felt her adrenaline kick in. Something was wrong; she could see him working it out in his mind.

"Spencer," she said as calmly as she could. "You are scaring me," she told him, her voice starting to shake. "Please tell me what the hell you are thinking…"

He swallowed against a lump in his throat. "Scarlett," he grabbed her hands and met her eyes. He wasn't sure how to form the words from his racing thoughts. "Did you have a doctor's appointment in the last couple months that you hadn't mentioned to me?" he tried asking tactfully.

Her eyes showed confusion. "Spence, I've had a few… I finished up with Dr. Cannon yesterday," she said, her voice tight in frustration. "You know that…"

"No, I meant- Jesus," he rolled his eyes. "When was the last time you had your shot…" he said with a quick blush rushing to his face.

"Shot?" she said confusion now clouding her eyes. "Spence… I don't understand… Oh!"

He saw as her thoughts aligned with his. He cleared his throat again and squeezed her hands, his breath catching in his chest. "Oh?" he asked nudging her for an answer. He saw fear cross her face. Her green eyes were huge against the white shock on her face.

"Oh…" she said taking a steadying breath. "I was supposed to find a doctor here… Oh!" she jumped up out of the bed and grabbed her phone. Scrolling quickly through her calendar he watched as her hands shook while holding the device.

"No, no, no…" she looked through the dates quickly. He saw her legs start to shake and pulled her back to the bed and onto his lap.

"It's okay, Scarlett. Breathe, honey…" he felt her body trembling.

"I can't believe this! I am so stupid! What was I thinking?!" Scarlett was muttering to herself. "How could I completely forget something so freaking important?" she asked.

"Hey, Scarlett, come on, stop. It'll be okay… Stop, now…" Spencer tried to pull her closer and she pulled away.

"Spencer, I'm overdue for the shot by almost _four_ months! I haven't had one since I moved here, since before I transferred… Do you have any idea what that means?" she grabbed his shirt from the chair and pulled it over her head and began to pace.

"I can't believe how stupid I am!" she lamented, staring at herself in the mirror. She watched Spencer in the reflection, as he pulled on a pair of his sweats and moved to stand behind her.

"Scarlett. Stop, please. You are not stupid. With our schedules, and moving and everything else going on - there's every excuse in the world for forgetting something like a quarterly doctor appointment," he moved closer, wanting to hold her but half afraid of her reaction.

"I didn't even think…"

"I didn't either. It's just as much my responsibility as yours…"

Scarlett met his eyes in the mirror and scowled. "No, it's not. I told you when we first got together that I was on the shots, then I failed to keep up with them. So that made it my responsibility…"

Spencer sighed and closed the distance between them. He pulled her back against his chest and held her tightly. "Scarlett. I've been here the whole time, participating, right?"

She bit her lip. "Yeah," she said watching him as he ran his hand over her hair.

"Then I own some of the responsibility. Stop blaming yourself. Please," he asked, kissing her cheek. They stood looking in the mirror together.

"Holy shit, Spence…" she whispered. "I'm scared…" she said to his reflection.

She felt his arms wrap tighter around her. "Me too," he said softly.

Scarlett took a deep breath and lifted the hem of the shirt, exposing her abdomen, studying herself in the mirror. Spencer couldn't control the surge of emotion that swept over him. He lowered his hand to cover her stomach, protectively.

Scarlett covered his hand with hers, leaning back into him for support. "I can't… I don't know what to do… I feel frozen," she admitted. She felt his fingers stroke her stomach.

"I guess maybe we should start with a drug store," he suggested. "Get one of the over the counter tests? I don't know how long of time it takes or if it can tell…"

"Right, okay…" she went to move forward out of his arms but he stopped her. She turned in his arms to hold him.

"I love you, Scarlett. I know you're scared, but just don't forget that…" his voice comforting her. She sighed deeply and raised her face to his, meeting his eyes.

"I love you, too, Spencer. Always…" she accepted his kiss, letting herself draw strength from that knowledge.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Scarlett stood in the bathroom holding the bag from the drug store. She'd bought three pregnancy tests in the end, ones that promised to give an accurate answer even before a missed period. She read and re-read the instructions even after Spencer read them aloud to her twice. Her hands shook as she opened all the boxes and took the tests. She lined them up on the counter and left the room, not able to watch and wait.

Reid stood in the middle of the living room running his hands through his hair. He turned when he heard her footsteps.

"Now we wait," she said with a shrug, hoping to look nonchalant. She set the timer on her phone and flopped onto the couch, unable to stand on her weak legs. Spencer sat beside her and grabbed her hands.

"Scarlett," he said quietly, unsure how to talk about what was on his mind. "Um, if it's positive… do you – I mean will you want to have the baby?" he ground out, his voice husky with emotion.

She snapped up her head to meet his concerned gaze. "Of course, Spencer… I mean, Jesus, I'm scared to death and I don't know how to do any of this, but I'd never consider not having the baby," she watched him, wondering at the thoughts in his head.

He looked to his shoes instead of her eyes. "I meant I, uh, would understand if you didn't want to have _my_ baby, because of the genetics- I mean, with my mom and all- I'd support you no matter what your decision would be…" he said in a rush, his biggest fears now spoken.

Scarlett processed his words for about a minute. She moved closer and placed her hand to his cheek until he looked at her. She was shocked at the pain she saw in his eyes.

"Spencer. Your baby is the only baby I'll ever want, genetics be damned. Everyone plays odds when having a baby; everyone prays that their child is healthy and happy. Sometimes two perfect sets of genes can still come up with an issue and as parents, people deal with it as it comes along," Scarlett brushed her hand along his cheek.

"Sometimes a baby is born perfectly healthy and something happens to change that... It's all part of life," she stroked her thumbs across his face, willing him to understand her words. "I am not afraid of what you are thinking, Spencer. I am afraid of a million other things, like if I can even be a good mother or if the freaking drinks I had last night hurt anything, but you possibly carrying a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia isn't one of them… So no- I would not consider what you are asking…" she leaned into him, kissing him. "Please don't think that I wouldn't want your baby, Spence. Nothing could be farther from the truth."

She saw his eyes fill with tears and he tucked her into his chest holding her tightly. She felt him brush his hand over his eyes as he kissed her head. Wrapping her arms around him, she stroked his back as they waited together.

When the timer sounded, Scarlett didn't move. "I'm afraid to go look," she admitted, holding him tighter.

"Together… we'll go look together…" and he pulled her up from the couch, forcing her legs to carry her to the bathroom.

The three tests all showed negative signs across their screens. Scarlett left out a rush of breath and squeezed Spencer's hand. She quickly ducked her head and wiped at tears that gathered in her eyes.

"Hey…" he pulled her close. "Don't cry Scarlett… please. It's okay," he kissed her gently, brushing the tears off her cheeks.

"I-I'm okay," she stammered, unsure what she was feeling. "I'm just kind of relived and disappointed at the same time," she told him. "Does that make any sense?" she asked.

"Yeah, it does," he answered, feeling the same thing himself. "It's just not the right time, not right now," he told her glancing over at the tests again.

She smiled and buried her face against him. "Not right now… but someday?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing would make me happier," he told her, emotion deepening his voice. "I know that now, for certain," he said kissing her forehead. "I want to see you carrying my child, Scarlett. I want it more than I ever knew."

She closed her eyes and leaned against him again. "Me too," she said.

They walked hand in hand back into the living room. Scarlett pulled out her phone. "I've got to find a doctor…" she started to tab up the internet when the phone rang, showing her sister Desi's picture on the caller id. She answered the call.

"Hey, Desiree, what's up?"

Spencer watched and Scarlett moved around the apartment, straightening up things as she talked to her sister on the phone. Rather than eavesdrop, he decided to move to the bedroom. He made the bed and picked up laundry that had to be washed. He straightened out the bathroom, adding towels and clothes from the hamper in there to the growing pile. When he carried the basket to the front door, he saw Scarlett was already off the phone.

"Everything good with your sister?" he asked.

"Yes, just peachy," she joked. "Desi's always peachy; I swear that girl doesn't allow anything to put a hitch in her step…" Scarlett grabbed up some kitchen towels and threw them on the basket of clothes. Looking down at the pile, she sighed. "I guess I better get to the laundry today…"

"I've got some things at my place too," he shrugged. "Might as well make it a date," he teased.

"Oh, such the romantic," Scarlett laughed, pinching his arm. She grabbed some detergent from her hall closet and followed him into his apartment, as he picked through his clothes to add to the basket.

"Ready?" he asked as she watched him.

She held up the detergent. "As ever," she smiled and they went down to the shared basement where the laundry room was located.

"So Desi was calling to remind me next weekend was Mom's birthday. She wanted to know if I was going to be able to make it back to Chicago for it…" Scarlett mentioned causally as she started separating and loading the washing machine. She looked over to where Spencer was inspecting a pair of underwear before throwing them into the garbage.

"I really need to go shopping," he said to himself as he pulled out another pair with a ripped waistband and tossed them also.

Scarlett smiled and leaned back, watching his distracted movements. "I'd noticed, farm boy… most of your clothes seem to have seen better days…" she teased.

"I just don't think about shopping," he muttered noticing a stain on one of his dress shirt and moved to toss it also.

"Mmm-hmm. Typical male," she grabbed the shirt off him and took a bottle of cleaner and sprayed the stain. "I'll make a deal with you," she said with a smile. "I'll take you shopping this afternoon, if you go with me to Chicago this weekend," she said, waiting for his reaction.

He looked confused. "You're going to Chicago?"

Scarlett laughed. "Yes, this weekend… Mom's birthday…" she shook her head. "Pay attention, Spencer," she joked and stepped up to him wrapping her arms around his waist. "Will you go with me?"

"Yes," he said and nodded. "I'll go…" he leaned forward when she tugged on his hair lightly so she could reach him to kiss his lips.

"Good. That's settled then…"

Spencer looked down at her. "Wait, are you flying in or were you planning on riding?" he asked, remembering that she rode her motorcycle in originally.

Scarlett shook her head. "No, farm boy. I'm not riding Juliet this time. It takes longer, and I don't think you'd be up to the trip…" she teased.

"I could make it…" he stopped, wondering why he was arguing the point.

Scarlett cocked an eyebrow at him. "Sweetie, that long in the saddle will turn the most experienced ass numb. I'll take you around on a few shorter trips first…"

"When?"

Scarlett stopped sorting through the basket and looked over at him. "You want to go for a ride, babe?"

He shrugged and threw a pair of socks into the garbage. "I guess…"

Scarlett watched him carefully. "Okay, when we go shopping this afternoon, we'll take the bike," she said wondering about his sudden interest.

"Can I drive?" he asked looking down at her.

"Um, no?" she shook her head. "You don't even know how to handle a bike…"

"Actually, I do. I studied several manuals and technical reports… it's really just a matter of physics when you break it down and…"

"Spence," Scarlett put a hand on his chest. "There's a bit more to it than just reading the books- you have to constantly watch out for variables…"

"Well, sure but that's the case when driving a car, too," he responded.

"But in a car, if an animal runs out in front of you, you have a dead animal, maybe a dent- completely different scenario on a bike, you'll be ass up and if you're lucky enough, escape with road rash… and you don't even like driving a car," she said throwing her hands in the air. "Why try a bike?"

"Maybe I'd like a bike…" he shrugged and she watched as he turned back to the laundry.

"Hey," she touched his shoulder. "What's this about, Spence?"

When he only shrugged again, Scarlett stood in front of him and nudged him away from the basket. "Come on, farm boy. Talk to me…" she leaned back against the row of appliances and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting.

Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I was just thinking that you said you loved riding, and now you hardly ever do it anymore. I hate seeing you giving up something you love. I thought if I could learn then maybe we could ride together," he kicked the basket at his feet.

Scarlett bit her lip. "Fine," she said. "But you have to start small, like in a parking lot… and you listen to everything I say, I don't give a rat's ass what you may have read different…" she stopped and rubbed her temples as if she already had a headache. "And if you hurt yourself, Spencer Reid, I swear to God I'll do more damage to you than the road ever could…" she threatened him.

She looked over as his face split in a grin and rolled her eyes. "You look like a kid at Christmas," she muttered but couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. She shook her head. "Don't make me regret this, farm boy…"

Spencer tried to swallow his grin but couldn't. "I won't. I promise I'll listen to everything you say… when can we go?"

Scarlett bit the side of her thumb nervously. "There's a church a few blocks over that has a decent lot. It'll be empty this time of the day…"

"Now?" he asked, suddenly nervous.

"Might as well, it'll take a bit for these to cycle through," she said motioning to the washers. "We'll wait for them to make it to the dryers, shoot for a short clip and then hit the shopping," she told him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Not much later, they were at the parking lot, and Spencer was in the driver's seat. Scarlett kept her helmet on for communication and stepped away from the bike.

"You aren't going with me?" Spencer's voice pitched into a squeak in her ear.

"It's harder to learn with the extra weight on the back, Spence. Just take it easy. You need to maintain speed to keep her up, so don't be afraid of the throttle, but don't gun it. Don't rely on the front brakes, it can flip you at too fast of a speed…" she ran down the list she'd been drilling into his head since they first got on the bike.

"Okay, okay… I got it…" he said nervously as he turned the key and the engine roared to life.

Scarlett pressed her lips together and held her breath as he eased into the throttle and the bike began to pull away. She watched as he drove around the parking lot holding the bike steady and keeping a good line into a turn. When he passed her, she could see he was smiling.

Twice more around the lot, Scarlett was less nervous until he hit the throttle and she heard him kick it into second. "Spencer, don't get cocky," she warned.

"I'm not. This is great…"

"Yeah, you're doing fine, but the lot isn't that big… Watch the turn!" she yelled as he banked the wheel too hard for that speed and slid sideways off the macadam and into the grass. The bike's wheels hit the loose dirt and kicked back and she watched as its weight drug him along.

"Kick the fucking bike away," she yelled at him through the headset and ran towards him. She saw him respond and kick a leg into the machine freeing himself from the metal. The bike snarled and spun coming to a stop a few feet into the grass before stalling.

"Holy fuck," she heard him swearing in her ear as she caught up to him. Ripping her helmet off, she dropped to the ground alongside him, running her hands over his body.

"Are you okay? Did the bike land on you? Are you alright?" she sat down hard beside him when her legs gave out from under her. She had to take a second to pull her nerves back together.

"I'm fine, Scarlett," she heard him say when he ripped off the helmet. He stood up and walked over to the bike, picking it up and checking out the damage. It looked like it was mostly fine, to his eye. The highway bars and grass seemed to have absorbed most of the shock; he didn't see any dents or damage.

He looked back over to where Scarlett was still sitting. He saw her watching him and cocked his head.

"I think it's fine," he said walking back over to her. "You going to check it out?"

Scarlett reached into her jacket and pulled out a pack of smokes. "Nope," she said lighting up the cigarette.

Spencer crouched down beside her. "So on a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you at me?" he asked.

When she just narrowed her eyes and threw him a look, he cringed. "I'm sorry… I don't think it's damaged…"

Scarlett shook her head and blew out some smoke on a tense breath. "I don't give a fuck about the god damn bike Spencer. Christ," she stood up quickly and he moved to stand in front of her.

"I'm fine…" he said quietly.

"Jesus- Spencer, do you have any clue how close you came to having six hundred pounds of steel roll over you? Seconds, Reid- seconds! If you hadn't kicked out it would have dragged you into the dirt and the bike would've gone over you instead of just the grass… You don't get it…" she took a long drag off the smoke and stomped off over to the bike, kneeling down beside it to inspect for damage. He could see her hands were shaking as she tossed the cigarette away.

He gave her a few minutes before heading over. "I'm okay Scarlett…"

"I know," she said quietly. "I know you are… but for a frozen moment, Spence, that's not what I saw. I _saw_ the other outcome…" her breath hitched and he realized she was crying.

He dropped down next to her and pulled her close. "Scarlett, it didn't happen. I'm okay…"

She moved over scrambling onto his lap and buried her face in his neck. He held her for a while, letting her compose herself.

"I think you scared ten years off my life, Spencer," she told him once she'd calmed down enough to speak.

"I'm sorry. I should have listened to you when you told me to cut it back…"

"Yeah, you should have…" she told him, tugging on his hair and kissing him. "But you're alright…" she kissed his forehead and his nose. Spencer smiled and kissed her back.

"You are alright…" she said again to herself before she cleared her throat and stood up.

"Okay, then… Let's go… back in the saddle, farm boy…"

Reid shook his head. "I think I'm done, Scarlett…"

She fisted a hand on her hip. "You fall off, you get back on. That's the rules, Spencer," she went over and collected their helmets. "Just around the lot again, but this time I am riding bitch," she told him. "I'm not going to let you spill it, babe…. Trust me," she said softly. She strapped the helmets onto the luggage bar.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not liking the idea of not wearing the helmet.

"Just for now, around the lot, so I can sit closer and help," she told him. "Saddle up…"

He swung his leg over the seat and waited for her to move behind him. He felt her press against his back and her head rested on his shoulder. She leaned in and kissed his ear.

"Okay, pretty boy, fire her up," she said wrapping her arms around his chest.

He took a deep breath and turned the engine over. Scarlett listened to make sure nothing sounded off after the spill.

"Okay, now let's go, slowly…" she teased.

Scarlett showed him when to shift into second and how to brake and downshift before making a hard turn. He felt her hand on his arm and her foot nudge his leg at the proper times and followed her instructions as she spoke into his ear. After a few more trips through the lot, he stopped and gave her back the bike.

"Your turn," he joked as he pulled the helmets off the back. "I'm done for the day…"

"Okay, if you're sure…" she shrugged. "You really did do fine Spencer. Even the kick out, you did that right. I know you know how to save your ass, anyway," she smiled as she slid the helmet on. She heard his voice in her ear as he linked the communications up.

"Yeah, I don't want to try that again, though…" he told her.

"So you ready to _really_ ride, farm boy?" she teased as she started the engine and raced the throttle making the bike vibrate and snarl.

"Scarlett…"

"Hang on tight… I'm going to show you what my girl can do- that'll teach you to give her some respect," she told him as she pulled out of the lot, heading up towards the interstate.

"Scarlett…" she heard nerves in his voice.

"Don't worry Spencer. I'll keep her within the speed limit. Don't twitch around," she told him when he moved behind her and she had to adjust for the shift. He tensed up immediately and froze.

Scarlett sighed. "Relax, sweetie. Just lean into me and follow my movements, okay?" She heard him huff out a tense breath and relax against her back. When she hit the entrance to the interstate, she felt him tense up again.

"Trust me Spencer… this is a cake walk compared to some of the places I've had her, okay?" she felt his hands at her waist move up to ribcage and pull her back against his chest. She watched the flow of traffic and gave his knee a quick squeeze before pulling onto the highway.

She nudged the throttle up as she moved through traffic to find an open stretch. Once they cleared most of the local off ramps, she opened the bike up and had the speedometer up past eighty.

"You said you'd stay within the limits," Spencer's voice echoed across the headset. She was surprised he sounded calm and felt relaxed at her back.

"I can have us in Maryland in less than an hour," she told him.

"What's in Maryland?" he asked.

Scarlett gunned the engine up a little further. "No helmet laws," she laughed as he made a strangled noise into the mic.

"What do you have against helmets?" he asked when his throat cleared enough to speak.

"You haven't ridden until you've felt the wind on your face, Spencer…" she teased heading over to the state lines.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When they crossed the border in less than an hour as she'd promised, Scarlett pulled off the highway in the first little town they'd reached, stopping at a small gas station. Spencer slid off the bike and she noticed him stretch his back.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned maybe she was pushing him too hard the first time out.

"Yes," he answered. "Just a little stiff…"

Scarlett smiled. "Imagine riding the eleven or so hours to Chi-town," she teased. "Totally ass numbing…"

Spencer shook his head. "I don't think I'd make it," he said amending his earlier claim.

"You would. I take a lot of breaks… Stretch out – I'm going to gas up and then we're going shopping," she told him.

"You know this area?" he asked, nervously watching as she strapped the helmets back onto the rack.

Scarlett shrugged as she pumped some gas into the bike. "Sure, I looked over the map and searched some of the stores in the area on the internet before we left. I decided to head this way when you figured out you needed clothes," she told him. She noticed him eyeing the road warily. "What's wrong, farm boy?"

"I don't like the idea of no helmets, Scarlett. It's not smart," he glanced at her quickly and then at the road before them. A tractor trailer drove down past them and his eyes widened. "What if someone hits us?"

Scarlett leaned against the bike and watched him carefully. "Spence, if we get hit by an eighteen wheeler sweetheart, that little helmet isn't going to do anything anyway. It'd just be a brain bucket…"

She saw his face blanch at that thought. "Thank you so much for that image now stuck in my mind, crazy girl…" he said with a shake of his head. "Let's get this over with," he said.

Scarlett reached in her jacket and pulled out some hair ties. "Come here, pretty boy. You don't want your hair whipping your face, it hurts like a bitch…" she told him and he sat on the bike so she could secure his locks back into one of the elastic bands. After braiding hers tightly, she slid onto the seat in front of him.

"Ready?" she asked as she turned the engine over.

"As ever," he responded, gripping her ribs once again. He noticed that without the helmet he could sit closer and leaned into her and nuzzled her neck. "I can see some advantages already," he teased as he nipped her lightly.

"Hey, don't distract the driver," she teased turning and giving him a quick kiss before pulling the bike out of the parking lot.

Spencer leaned into the wind that was hitting his face. He could smell the asphalt and exhaust from other vehicles sharing the road. They turned off the main highway to head into town and he felt a change in the wind and took notice how Scarlett had also leaned into it. Her hair pulled out of the braid and strands whipped across his face. He could smell her shampoo and the scent of her skin through the air and breathed deeply as they drove through the country roads.

"I told you there was something about having no helmet…" she grinned. He watched her face as the wind reddened her cheeks and her eyes gleamed with joy.

"Yeah, I can see," he spoke roughly, as his body reacted to seeing her so excited. When she reached back and tucked her hand behind his knee and squeezed, he felt his blood race.

"No distracting the passenger," he said loudly enough for her to hear.

Scarlett let out a throaty laugh. "Spencer, I can see your face in the mirror, sweetie. You're already distracted…" she winked as he caught her gaze in the reflection. She bumped the speed down and hit the front brake slightly, hopping the bike a bit and sliding him forward into her back. His legs gripped her hips and she felt his arousal press into her spine. When she caught his gaze this time, his cheeks were flaming red. She raised herself up in the seat and pressed back against him intimately.

"Scarlett, Jesus, stop please…" he leaned forward forcing her back into a sitting position. "Pay attention to the road, okay? I'm trying very hard not to distract you," he barked out.

"Mmm-hmm. Poor choice of words, pretty boy…" she teased and he groaned and buried his face into her neck, biting her lightly.

Scarlett pulled the bike to a wide berm off the road and cut off the engine, knocking the kickstand into place.

"What are you doing?" Spencer asked.

"Taking a break… this driver is officially distracted," she said with a laugh and turned on the seat and kneeled on his thighs to face him. She placed her hands to either side of his face and lowered her lips for a kiss.

He ran his hands up her legs to cup her ass and back down to her thighs, yanking her forward so she was straddling his lap as he kept his long legs stretched out helping balance the bike. She ground her body against his and he could feel her tremble.

"Scarlett," he cleared his mind and pulled back a little. "We can't do this, not here," he said trying to be reasonable. "Anyone can drive past…" he groaned as she leaned back and stretched her back against the tank. He ran his hand up her shirt feeling the skin over her stomach and her ribs, trailing his fingers across the lace of her bra covering her breasts.

"I know, and that's not going to help me cool down, Spencer…" she warned him. Her eyes glittered fiercely as he stood and leaned over her, kissing her neck and pressing her back against him again.

"Seeing you splayed out against the bike isn't helping me either," he panted against her heated skin.

"Okay… okay," she said pulling herself up into a sitting position. "Break…" she said kissing him one last time before sliding off of him and the bike. She walked a few feet away and took a deep breath.

Spencer waited a few minutes before moving himself, before he walked over into the field alongside the road. Scarlett sat down on a rock that had been placed at a dirt road turn off. She felt him come up behind her and he reached over her shoulder, handing her a collection of wildflowers.

Scarlett shook her head and laughed, taking them and breathing in the scent. She looked up over her shoulder as he seated himself behind her. Leaning onto his shoulder, she kissed his cheek.

"I love you, you know that?" she said with a grin.

"I've heard you say it a time or two," he smiled and kissed her. He held her tightly and pulled his phone out, switching it to camera mode and held his arm out taking a picture of them together. After it captured, he showed her the shot.

"Nice," she said huskily, staring at the image. They both looked slightly wind burnt and insanely happy. "I like it," she told him and kissed his chin. "Make sure you send me a copy…" even though she'd already memorized it.

"As you wish," he whispered.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They spent the afternoon shopping in town. Scarlett was still lost in a small consignment shop as Reid was rearranging their purchases into the saddle bags trying to fit everything inside.

He looked up as she exited the store carrying yet another bag. He shook his head. "We're running out of storage space, crazy girl. You're going to have to get a grip on your shopping addiction," he chastised.

Scarlett sighed. "I couldn't pass this up," she said pulling out a leather jacket and handing it to him. "This will add more protection than your jean jacket," she explained tugging at his arm where it had already torn from his earlier spill. When he pulled out of the material she ran her fingers over a bruise that had formed on his bicep and kissed it lightly.

"You don't have to buy me stuff, Scarlett," he said as he shrugged into the leather. She adjusted the heavy leather on his shoulders and stood back to inspect the fit.

"I know. You don't have to buy me things either, but you did," she remarked, motioning to the bag from another store that specialized in vintage clothing. "You paid for that peignoir set I was eyeing up…" she told him.

Spencer grinned. "Yeah, don't fool yourself. That was for me, too…" he chuckled as she slugged him in the arm. "Ow!" he laughed.

Scarlett laughed as she folded the jean jacket in a roll and tucked it into the cords holding the helmets.

"I'm getting hungry," she told him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the farmer's stand across the street. "Let's grab something and eat in the park…" she said pointing out a shaded area by a pond.

Spencer glanced quickly at his watch. "Alright, but then we better head back, beautiful…" he said and dropped a kiss to her nose. "It's after two…"

Scarlett took two apples and some grapes from the stand, handing them to the woman behind the counter. She waited while Spencer grabbed bottles of water and added a bag of homemade trail mix into their purchases.

Reid went back over to the bike and pulled out a small blanket he'd found in the saddle bag earlier and they walked hand in hand over to the pond.

She sat down beside him as he stretched his long frame out across the blanket and pillowed his head in her lap. Scarlett watched as he stared up into the tree branches hanging over head, the sun filtering through at some places chasing shadows and light across his face. She pulled off a handful of grapes and fed him a few, trading for kisses.

He sat watching her, as she looked out over the pond to where some ducks had landed in the water. The sun highlighted through her hair and he drew his fingers through some of the loose strands from her braid. Scarlett leaned over him and smiled, tracing her fingers across his cheek.

"What are you thinking about that's causing that look on your face, my sweet farm boy?" she asked, smiling down at him.

Spencer pulled a few more tangled wisps of hair away from her face, drawing his fingers gently through a long curl. He pressed his lips against the lock of hair and released it to curl under her face. He cleared his throat and spoke softly, reciting words to her he'd learned long ago.

"_Nay, but you who do not love her, Is she not pure gold, my mistress? Holds Earth aught- speak truth- above her? Aught like this tress, see," _he stroked the lock of her hair again, his eyes following as his fingers held the strands...

"_and this tress, and this last fairest tress of all, so fair, see e're I let it fall?" _he released the curl again as it lined her jaw_. _

"_Because you spend your lives in praising; to praise you search the wide world over: then why not witness calmly gazing, if the Earth holds aught- speak truth- above her? Above this tress, and this I touch, but cannot praise… I love so much…"_

He reached again gently stroking the lock of hair away from her face, tracing his fingers against her jaw and neck. Scarlett leaned over and kissed him.

"I can't remember hearing that one before," she said, leaning back against the tree and looking down at him.

"Robert Browning," he answered distractedly, as he pressed his ear against her chest listening to her heart thrum. She ran her fingers through his hair as he looked up at her.

"What did I ever do to deserve such a beautiful man as you?" she asked softly.

Spencer blushed and ducked his head. "I'm not so much," he said.

Scarlett raised his face to meet her eyes. "To me… you are everything, Spencer Reid. Don't ever forget that…" she whispered into his ear as she leaned in to kiss him again.

He wrapped his arm up around her neck and drew her down over him. He savored her mouth, the taste of the fruit flavoring her kiss. She drew her knees up behind his back and he leaned back against them, his face inches from hers. He gently bumped his nose to hers and smiled.

"We better head back…" he said huskily, stealing another quick kiss.

"I know..." she kissed his temple and circled her arms around his neck, leaning her forehead against his. "We still have laundry to finish folding," she said with an exaggerated sigh.

Spencer picked up the blanket and folded it up after she collected their garbage, storing everything back in the bag. "Playtime called on account of laundry," he teased.

"Reality check," she laughed. Scarlett unhooked the helmets, handing him his. "No stopping this time, sweetie. You up for that?"

"Can you please keep it under seventy?" he asked. "I'm begging," he half joked.

"Oh, alright then…" she said giving him a quick kiss before pulling on her helmet. When she heard his com-link open she said, "Spoilsport…"

They headed back the way they came, racing up the highway leading back towards home. Spencer had to admit although he felt a bit safer with the helmet on; he enjoyed the ride better without it. The sounds and scents were completely different without it. When he mentioned this to Scarlett, he heard her laugh buzz over the mic.

"I knew I'd convert you," she teased.

About a mile away from their building, Scarlett stopped at a drugstore.

"I thought you said no stops," Spencer quipped, following her into the store.

"I remembered something we needed," she said with a shrug, heading over to the family planning aisle.

"Oh," was all he said when she pulled a box of condoms off the shelf.

"Unless you were thinking of abstaining until I get that appointment?" she teased. She chuckled softly when a blush stole across his cheeks. "No? Me either…"

Spencer cleared his throat and looked down at her. "You planning on one of us running for more of these every few days?" he asked when he saw the package she had in her hands.

"Not really, why?" she asked as he reached above her head and handed her a bigger box.

"Because we'd be out in two days with that pack…" he said pointing out the content number.

Scarlett scrunched up her nose and looked at him. "Why do you know that? Why am I surprised that you do?"

"Scarlett…" he rolled his eyes. "Can we just pay already and leave?"

"So, you've been counting?" she asked cheekily, enjoying the fact he was squirming.

"No!" he said quickly and looked around again. "You know patterns stick in my head…"

She tapped her foot, looking at the shelves. "Mmm… I don't know if I like the fact we're becoming patterned," she said throwing him a sideways glance.

"I didn't mean…" he huffed out a breath when he saw her nose crinkle in mirth. "You're teasing me," he said shaking his head. "You remember everything… you already know a number too…" he said.

She paused and thought for a moment, quickly doing the math. "What the hell are we, fucking rabbits?" she said shaking her head as she reached up and grabbed another box.

Spencer couldn't help it when a loud laugh escaped him at her comment. He covered his mouth and looked around as people turned to look at him. "Yes, actually- we are horny fucking mutant rabbits," he said unable to control his laughter. He ran a hand through his hair and scrubbed at his face. "Can we please go now? People are staring," he told her.

Scarlett smiled brilliantly, entranced by the sound of his laugh. She bit the inside of her cheek and chuckled. "Let them stare, then, sweetie. They are probably just jealous," she joked as he turned away shaking his head. She could see he was struggling for composure.

"Hey, farm boy…" she jogged up the aisle behind him and when he felt her hands at his shoulders, he bent down a little, scooping her up onto his back.

"What?" he asked as other customers stared disapprovingly at them. He realized at that moment, with her laughter in his ear, that he really didn't care.

Scarlett leaned over his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "I love you…" she said, not bothering to lower her voice. When he laughed again, she kissed his hair.

"I love you too, my crazy mutant rabbit girl," he teased, walking up to the counter while she hung onto his shoulders.

Scarlett dropped the boxes onto the counter from his back. The woman behind the counter smiled and rang up their purchase. "We're rabbits," she said playfully when the cashier met her eyes.

"I can see that," the clerk laughed.

Spencer pulled his wallet out of his pocket and shook his head. "You are killing me Scarlett," he said his voice cracking between laughter and embarrassment.

"Maybe later," she said squeezing his hips between her knees. She winked at the customer behind her when Spencer hitched her up further onto his back and moved to leave the store. The elderly man laughed.

"Fifty three years…" he said with a chuckle.

Spencer stopped and tilted his head. "Excuse me?"

"My wife and I have been married for fifty three wonderful years," he said looking Spencer in the eye. "You both keep laughing like you do now, you may be blessed enough to have as many…"

Scarlett laid her cheek against Spencer's. "I certainly hope so," she told the man with a grin of her own.

With that, Spencer carried her out of the store.

He deposited her to the ground when they reached the bike. Scarlett stowed their final purchases into the saddlebag and handed him the keys.

"You think you can drive us home?" she asked grabbing up her helmet. She watched his face as he mapped out a plan in his mind.

"Yeah…" he smiled, pulling on his helmet. "I can do that," he said.

"Let's roll then, farm boy," he heard her voice over the link and he slid onto the bike.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When they pulled in front of the apartment building, Scarlett noticed Derek's SUV parked a few feet ahead of them. Spencer pushed the bike back up to the curb and cut off the engine. He pulled off his helmet and heard Morgan's voice.

"If I didn't see it for myself, I wouldn't have believed it…" Derek moved off his seat on the stairs where he was waiting with Garcia.

"I'm just glad we decided to wait… I wouldn't have wanted to miss this," Garcia teased as she snapped a picture of them on the bike. Scarlett leaned forward onto Spencer's shoulder as Penelope took another shot.

Morgan stood at the curb. "So, how did this happen?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at the leather jacket Reid was wearing. "I don't think I've ever seen you in anything besides a suit jacket…" he teased.

"Scarlett felt this would be more appropriate," Spencer joked.

She made a face and handed off a bag to him. "Your jean jacket didn't survive… I figured the leather had a better chance."

Garcia picked up on that. "Didn't survive what?"

Reid slid the jacket off one shoulder showing off his bruise. "I got a battle scar. Me verses the parking lot…" he said with a childish grin.

Penelope touched his arm. "What?! Scarlett! You let him get hurt?" she reprimanded. "How could you let him get hurt?"

"He didn't listen to me…" Scarlett shook her head. "I now have the gray hair to prove it…"

Morgan rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd be a positive influence on her, kid…" he crossed his arms and looked at Reid. Spencer scowled slightly.

"Why?" he asked and Derek laughed.

Scarlett shook her head and headed into the building. "So what brings you two by?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Morgan held the door open as they carried in their bags. "Where'd you go shopping?"

"Maryland," Spencer answered ducking into the doorway.

"Why did you go all the way to Maryland?"

"No helmet laws," Reid answered as if it should have been obvious. Once inside Scarlett's apartment he dropped the bags inside the bedroom door.

"Oh…" Penelope threw a worried glance to Morgan.

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. "Scarlett…"

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't give me that look…" he warned.

"What look?" she grinned and ducked away as Derek swatted at her. She squealed when he snagged her by the waist and swung her up onto the countertop in front of him, trapping her between his arms. Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"That 'so sweet and innocent' look… No helmets?" Derek cocked an eyebrow at her.

Reid reached into the fridge and pulled out some sweet tea and some glasses, setting them on the counter next to Scarlett.

Scarlett bumped her forehead to Derek's. "Calm down, D. We had fun… you should try it sometime…" she teased and kissed his nose.

Derek scoffed. "I've seen you wipe out Katy- I just don't want a repeat, it wasn't 'fun' at all…"

Spencer looked between them. "You've laid down the bike?" he asked Scarlett.

"That was years ago… even before Juliet," Scarlett said, dismissing it as nothing.

Morgan shook his head. "She didn't simply lay it down, Reid. I was behind her when it happened. She hydroplaned through a puddle, going too fast, of course… and the bike rolled over her…" His face contorted slightly at the memory. "I haven't ridden since," he said flatly.

Reid caught Scarlett's eyes. "You get back in the saddle, that's the rules…" he repeated her earlier doctrine.

"Yes, because if you don't – you won't…" she said inclining her head towards Derek. "Case in point…"

"I didn't fall," Morgan said roughly. "And you didn't see what I saw," he ground out.

"No, I think my vantage point was worse than yours," Scarlett told him, gently patting his shoulder.

"Were you hurt?" Penelope asked.

"Not as bad as it could have been," she said. "I kicked out of it after the first roll."

"After?" Spencer asked tightly; his throat suddenly dry.

She shrugged. "I forgot…"

Derek snorted. "She broke her leg in two places where the bike landed on her. _Then_ she remembered to kick out…"

Spencer cleared his throat. "So getting back on, today- was that for me, or for you?"

Scarlett slid off the counter, bumping Morgan back. She moved behind Spencer and laid her hand against his back as she reached for a drink.

"Both," she told him honestly.

"How bad did you spill?" Garcia squeaked, eyes wide. She looked at the bruise on his arm again. "Were you hurt?"

Spencer shrugged. "No, just the bruise from hitting the pavement," he said.

"He kicked out," Scarlett told them. When Derek quirked a brow at her, she sighed. "It was heading towards bad," she admitted. "The bike was dragging him…" she looked over to meet Morgan's eyes. "It scared years off my life."

"Welcome to my world," Derek said sarcastically. He reached over and pinched her cheek. "But you aren't ready to park it yet?"

Scarlett thought quickly over the rest of the trip. "Nope," she said and smiled at Reid. "We had fun…"

Morgan sighed. "Great, now I have two of you to worry about," he teased and poked the bruise on Spencer's arm. "Just make sure you both wear helmets," he told him. "Even across state lines- it saved her once. The helmet split when she hit the pavement. It could've been her skull…"

Reid threw her an accusing look. "You didn't tell me that…"

She rolled her eyes. "D, why did you drop by? Was your sole intent and purpose to get Reid angry at me?" she asked, trying to lighten the conversation.

Spencer huffed. "Don't call me Reid… and I'm not angry. Yet…" he told her, watching her move across to the stereo.

Penelope looked over at Spencer, confused. "You have a problem being called Reid all of a sudden?" she asked wondering about his remark.

He looked over to his friend. "No… just by Scarlett. She only calls me Reid when she's pissed off at me…"

Scarlett looked up after plugging in her iPod into the system. "That's not true…" she thought about it a moment. She cocked her head to the side. "Oh…" she said, realizing he was right. "Well, not mostly…" she corrected. "I call you Reid at work…" She turned her attention to the playlists. "Where'd these songs come from?"

Spencer watched her scanning the titles, looking confused. Garcia laughed.

"Is that the one you asked me to update?" she asked with a chuckle.

Derek looked between the three of them. "What'd you do, baby girl?" he asked Penelope.

She covered her smile and winked at Spencer. "Only added a playlist or two…"

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. "Seriously…?" she scanned an entire bank of songs that she didn't recognize even one song from. "Reid…" she growled out.

"See, I told you… Only when she's pissed," he laughed.

Scarlett rolled her eyes and hit the selection. "These better be good or I'm deleting…" she told them both.

Derek laughed. "It could be him screaming for an hour…" he said remembering a trick Spencer had played on him a few years ago.

Reid laughed. "No, nothing like that. Although some of the stuff she listens to isn't much more than screaming…" he teased and moved over to where she was still scrolling through the titles.

"Here…" he hit a selection titled "Crazy Girl" by the Eli Young band. "I wanted you to hear some of the ones I liked…" he told her, explaining why he'd added songs.

Scarlett listened to the words to the song. Before the second verse, she felt tears pick at the back of her eyes, and moved into his arms. Spencer hugged her close and kissed the crown of her head as he felt her hands fist into the back of his shirt.

'_Wouldn't last a single day… I'd probably just fade away; without you I'd lose my mind. Before you ever came along, I was livin' life all wrong, smartest thing I ever did was make you all mine… Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you? And I wouldn't dream of goin' nowhere, Silly woman, come here let me hold you- Have I told you lately? I love you like crazy, girl…'_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Morgan cleared his throat as he flopped down on the couch. "Are we interrupting?" he teased them as the song ended.

Scarlett sighed and threw her brother a look. "You're still here?" she shot back and Derek grinned.

"Yeah… I wanted to talk to you about Mom's party this weekend, actually…" he said. Spencer moved and sat in the arm chair, scooting over a bit so Scarlett could sit on his lap.

"Sure, I talked to Desi this morning. I told her I was going to be there…" Scarlett cocked her head. "What's up?"

Derek sat forward a bit. "She called me too- Some of the guys… Cooper, Remy, Dave, Charlotte and Carrie- were asking about you. They want us to come for the weekend so we can all get together. But Desi wanted me to talk to you first, make sure you were up for that type of a reunion. Des and Sarah were hoping we could make it the whole weekend, and have Mom's party on Sunday…" Morgan watched Scarlett's eyes closely. He saw her tense and noticed Reid run his hand along her back as he watched her face, also.

"Oh…" she said. "I don't know…" she looked over to Morgan. "I'll think about it…" she stood up and Spencer moved to go with her. She turned and caught his eyes. "No, stay... I'm okay… I need a few minutes alone, please?" she asked, giving his hand a squeeze.

When she went into the bedroom and closed the door, Spencer turned to Derek. "Why wouldn't she want to see her friends?"

Penelope moved to watch the bedroom door. "She should probably go," she said. "Avoidance isn't good…"

Morgan saw concern flash across Reid's face. "What am I missing?" he asked.

"It just kind of a hard week for everyone to get together, Reid," he said. "With the anniversary of John's death and all- Desi was worried it might be too much on Scarlett," he glanced at Garcia. "Maybe it is too much, too soon."

"Does it ever get easier?" Penelope fisted a hand to her hip. "She can't cut them out of her life; pretend like it never happened…" she sighed. "I want to protect her too, Derek, but …"

"I know you are right, baby girl," he said. "But it doesn't make it easier to push…"

"These people," Reid said quietly. "They were her and John's friends?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, umm," Penelope answered. "They were all supposed to be in the wedding party, sweetling… She hasn't seen them all together since the funeral…" she explained gently.

"And she's only seen Cooper twice… he said she's been avoiding him, she won't return any of his calls…" Morgan said, looking at Reid for confirmation.

"I don't check her phone… I don't know…" he shrugged. "I've never heard her mention any of those names…" he said, worried. "I had no idea she was hiding so much," he said, looking at the door.

"Shit…" Morgan muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Coop was like John's brother. She's hurting him by cutting him out… he loves her too."

Garcia straightened her shoulders. "Well, she has no choice. She has to go this weekend… We will all be there for her, but she has to go…" she looked at her friends for support.

"I already told her I'd go with her, when she asked me this morning…" Spencer said, meeting Penelope's eyes. "If she still wants me there, I'll go for the weekend."

"Of course she'll want you there, poodle!" Penelope brushed her hand over his hair. "Why would you think she wouldn't?"

"I don't know, Garcia- why wouldn't she ever even mention anyone's names to me? There's a whole part of her life, a big part, that she keeps from me," he said, hurt sounding in his voice. He cleared his throat and looked at her. "I don't even know when they were supposed to have gotten married…" he mentioned, realizing that if they had their attendants picked out, the wedding had to have been pretty close to date.

Garcia's face scrunched up in concern and she looked over to Morgan.

"She didn't tell you?" Morgan asked exasperated at the level of his baby sister's avoidance. Reid shook his head negatively.

"Oh," Penelope lowered herself to the arm of the chair, sitting near Reid. She set her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, what…" he asked, eyes full of concern.

"It was that week, pretty boy…" Morgan said gruffly. "She had to bury him instead of marrying him."

"Oh…" Spencer said softly. The pain he felt in his heart was starting to make his breath hitch. He rubbed his chest. "What date?" he asked.

"The twenty second," Garcia answered. "She wanted to be married for the autumn equinox, the wiccan Mabon. They were doing a traditional and a hand-fasting…" she explained.

Reid looked up at his friend. "How do you know all this?" he asked. "You didn't know her when she was with John. She said she met you after… so how do you know all this, but I don't?"

Garcia gave him a small smile. "There are things you talk about with girlfriends that you wouldn't talk about with your beau, honey. I'd imagine she'd think it in bad taste to talk to you about her past wedding plans, ya know?" she said gently.

Derek stood up and walked over to her bookshelves. He pulled two photo albums out and handed them to Reid. "And maybe you two need to talk more… She's difficult to deal with Reid, trust me, I know. But you want to know her, really know her, you'll have to ask her. Make her talk…" he patted Garcia's shoulder as Reid opened up the book. She leaned over, looking at pictures of Scarlett's past.

The third page was the wedding announcement. Reid stared at the image of Scarlett, smiling happily in another man's arms. The pain in his chest intensified. He rubbed his heart absently.

"It's hard for you too, isn't it, baby?" Penelope cooed and hugged him close.

He rested his head against her shoulder as he turned the page. "Yeah, it hurts…"

"John was a good man, Reid. They were happy together, I won't lie to you," Morgan said.

"Yeah," Spencer was looking a photo of Morgan, another man, and John standing by a car. It was a candid shot. Morgan was laughing and John had his arm around the other's shoulders. "He was your friend, too…" he looked at Derek.

"One of my best friends, Reid," he responded.

Spencer regarded the picture once again. The two other men made Morgan look small. "Big guys," he commented offhandedly.

Derek laughed. "You could say that… Cooper's got three inches on me, and John was six-five and about three fifty… he was a linebacker in high school. Was going to play college ball, but screwed his knee and went into the service instead. When he got out of the marines, he joined the force…"

The next shot was still the same, except Scarlett was standing next to John, her head tilted back laughing.

Garcia leaned over and pointed to the unknown man in the picture. "That's Cooper," she told him. "He was on the same call, when John was killed. He got Scarlett out of there, after… She was shot through the thigh, and couldn't get up," Penelope's breath hitched in emotion. "John's body was holding her down…"

Spencer looked back at the photo and then to Garcia. "And when he helped her get up, she went after the shooter…" Garcia nodded.

"Coop blames himself for her getting that close. He doesn't even know how she was standing; he got her free but didn't stay by to watch her. They were all waiting for the perp to come out… Scarlett managed to push to the front and when the guy came out the door, she emptied her gun into him…"

Spencer nodded slightly. "Both…"

Derek looked at him. "What?"

"She told me she emptied both her weapons into him…" he stopped and considered something. "Why wasn't she removed from the force? If the unsub was leaving the building…"

"Yeah…" Morgan looked at his friend. "He was surrendering. But she had twenty uniforms that swore they saw him go for a gun before she shot him… They backed her up one hundred percent."

"The blue line…" Reid said quietly. "Was there a gun?" he asked.

"They did find two weapons on him still, after she killed him. Whether or not he pulled them, or if she saw them- I really don't know, Reid."

"With that level of overkill…" Spencer looked up at Morgan.

"I know. I know… indicates blind rage- not clear thinking or someone looking for a hidden weapon," Morgan watched Reid's reaction to hearing that.

He met Derek's eyes. "I don't blame her," he said. "Either way, I don't fault her for it. I may have done the same thing…" he told him.

Morgan nodded. "A lot of people felt that way. That's why she only got the rip and the evals…" He sighed and looked over at Penelope. "Hey, baby girl… why don't we go grab something to eat?" he suggested. He looked back to Reid. "Tell Scarlett I'll call her later…"

Spencer nodded, knowing that Morgan was giving them some space to talk themselves first. "Okay…"

Garcia kissed his cheek. "When you two talk," she told him, "you tell her she's going this weekend. I'll be with her, we all will, but she doesn't have an option. Understand?"

"Yes, I'll tell her…" he promised as he followed them to the door. "I'm going to go corner her now," he told Penelope.

"Okay," she made a sad face. "I love you both… tell her I said that too."

Reid smiled. "I will, Garcia, I promise," he said bending forward so she could kiss him again. "Go. Get something to eat. I'll talk to her," he said again, looking at Derek.

"Take care of my baby sister, Reid…" he nodded and turned to leave with Penelope following.

Spencer shut the door and leaned back against it. "I'm _trying_…" he said to the empty room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

He knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open. "Scarlett…" but she wasn't there. Reid tossed the photo albums on the bed before he checked the master bathroom, but she wasn't in there either.

Looking around the room, he saw her boots were placed on the window sill, and the window was wide open. He moved to look out on the fire escape, and saw her shirt hanging halfway up heading towards the roof.

Spencer sighed and climbed out onto the wrought iron rails. He followed her trail onto the roof, picking up her flannel over shirt and then her t-shirt as he reached the top. He spotted her sitting in the middle of the roof, facing the setting sun. Her eyes were closed, and he knew by her positioning that she'd been meditating.

"Hey," she said softly, letting him know she heard him arrive.

"Hey yourself," he responded. "I followed your breadcrumbs," he teased, lifting the shirts. "I worried what you'd be wearing by the time I reached you," he said dropping down beside her and settling the flannel back over her tankini top.

"I didn't want you to worry where I'd gone," she explained. "So I left some flags for you to find…"

"You are cold," he said disapprovingly as his hands ran down her arms.

"Not really," she said. "It just started getting chilly…" she shrugged. "Morgan and Penny left?" she asked, although she'd heard them go.

"Yeah. They are both worried about you, Katy…" he said softly, staring out over the rooftops. When he heard her make a huffing noise, he sighed. "I would've been too, if I'd had a clue…" he told her.

"For what? Why does anyone need to worry about me? I'm doing fine, Spencer…" she looked back up at him.

"Okay," he said, squinting into the sun instead of looking at her. "Then why are you ignoring your friends?" he asked.

"I wanted time to think, I didn't ignore them…" she told him, thinking he meant her brother and Garcia.

"What about your friends from Chicago?" he mentioned, sliding a quick glance towards her. "Morgan said your friend Cooper has been calling you and you aren't returning his calls."

"Oh," was all she said.

Spencer waited a few minutes watching as the sun disappeared behind the buildings. When she didn't say anything else, he sighed and leaned back on his elbows. He stared up into the darkening sky, looking for stars.

"You aren't going to see much up here," she said scanning the night. "Too much ambient light…"

"I bet you could see more out where we were today…" he said just as casually. "We'll have to go back one night…"

"Sounds like a date," she said and tried a smile. She sighed heavily as he continued to watch the sky instead of look at her. "Okay, Spence…"

"What?"

"You're pissed. I get it. Stop giving me the cold shoulder…"

He shrugged and looked at her. "I'm not…"

"Then what?" she pulled her arms through her sleeves as the air chilled. She looked at him again, willing him to meet her gaze.

"I'm not giving you the cold shoulder, Scarlett. I'm just listening," he did look at her then. Her eyes were red and puffy, so he knew she'd been crying, but he didn't mention it. Instead he fought against his need to hold her and looked away, over her shoulder.

"I'm not talking," she retorted. "So what are you listening to?"

Spencer cringed inwardly at her tone. "Fine," he said feeling his own anger rise. "Then I'm waiting…"

"What are you waiting for, Reid? For me to spill my guts? For me to lose my cool? I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do exactly? Everyone keeps acting like I'm supposed to do something, and I have no fucking clue what that is…" she bit her lips together tightly and breathed in through her nose. "I am not going to fall apart, just because everybody else wants me to…" she said harshly in a quieted voice as she tamped her anger back down. "I won't satisfy someone else's need to care for me by sacrificing my sanity…"

Spencer gripped his hands into fists at his side. "Is that what you think, Scarlett? That I want to see you fall apart so I can play some sort of fucked up game and pick up your pieces? You think I like seeing your eyes red from crying, God only knows how many times, and yet you won't tell me what's making you sad? Or, maybe…" he sat up straighter and looked at her, his voice sounding strained. "Maybe I like seeing you make yourself sick because you hold everything in, and then I can chase you around while you're in a flashback… Maybe that's it, because I'm some sort of twisted individual that enjoys your pain…" he shook his head in disbelief and stood up.

"Stop it," she bit out as she stood up also. "You know that's not what I meant…"

"Do I Scarlett? What the hell do I know? I only know the little bit that you show me- and I found out today that it's not much. You are hiding huge parts of your life from me… Why? Don't you trust me with your feelings?" he asked.

She was taken aback at that. "Spence… I trust you with all of me," she said softly.

"You promised you wouldn't shut me out, Scarlett. You said you'd talk to me…"

"I. Am. Trying." she said stiffly. "I don't know _how_…" she bit her lips together again as she felt a sob choke her throat.

Reid took a step towards her and stopped. He ran a hand through his hair. "Scarlett, please. This is what I mean… You are holding something in, instead of talking to me…"

He watched her as she closed her eyes and blew out her breath. "I'm trying, Spencer. Please…" her breath hitched and she fisted her hands. He watched her lips move through the semi darkness. He sighed as he read her lips.

'_Sad eyes follow me, But I still believe there's something left for me- So please come stay with me, 'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me- Hold me now, I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking maybe six feet ain't so far down, Please come now I think I'm falling I'm holding on to all I think is safe...'_

"Scarlett," he said quietly. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere…" he told her. He watched her hesitate before moving quickly into his arms. When he wrapped his arms around her, she sobbed against him, shaking. He sighed held her close. "Scarlett…" he breathed into her hair, kissing her temple. "I'm not going anywhere," he said again.

"You are mad at me," she sobbed.

"No, I'm not. Jesus, Scarlett- I'm just frustrated," he told her. "I want you to talk to me. I want you to tell me things, good bad or otherwise… I don't want you holding things inside like you've been doing."

"I just always have… even before… before," she swallowed back a sob. "John always said the same thing. I'd hold everything in until I blew up. He'd try to listen too, but I don't know how to talk, how to put what I am feeling into words…" she sniffled. When he pulled a handkerchief and handed it to her, she gave a watery laugh. "Why do you have one of these? Who carries these anymore?" she asked.

Spencer shrugged, watching her switch between crying and laughing. "I do…" he said simply. "Katy, what did John want you to talk about?" he asked quietly.

Scarlett shook her head. "Jesus, Spence… once mind fuck at a time, please. I'm getting a headache…"

When he only nodded and pressed his lips together, she sighed. "Okay- right… I'll answer your questions…" she shook her head when he opened his mouth to say something. "Let me talk…"

She paced a few steps away from him. "John was always on my case to talk about my sperm donor," she said crossly. "My biological father, I mean. He wanted to hunt him down. I wanted to pretend the bastard was dead, so we were at an impasse on that subject," she told him.

"He wanted you to reconnect with your father?" Spencer asked.

Scarlett's eyes widened slightly. "No, Spence. He wasn't interested in a family reunion," she rubbed at her arms. "Can we go inside? Finish talking at home, please?"

Confused about her demeanor, Spencer just nodded. He followed her back down the fire escape in the apartment.

Scarlett headed into the kitchen and made some coffee. As it was brewing, she leaned back against the counter and rubbed her temples.

"I can't get warm," she said. "I have to get warm…" Scarlett moved to the bedroom and started pulling out clothes. Spencer watched her dig through the drawers searching for something.

"Scarlett…" he grabbed her hands. "What are you looking for?" he asked. "Let me help…"

"I'm cold. I want a hoodie or something…" she said looking around the scattered room.

Spencer went to the closet and pulled out his cowichan sweater and zippered her up into it. "There," he told her. "Better?"

She snuggled into the wool and sighed. "Yes, thank you…" her bottom lip trembled in a shiver.

"It's not that cold," he told her, worriedly.

"I know, I know, Spence. It's my nerves… I'll settle down in a minute." She went back into the kitchen to get the coffee, making one for him along with hers.

Spencer saw her hands still shaking when she set the mugs down on the table. She pushed her hair back from her face as she sat down and stared into her mug. He took the seat beside her, thinking how small and lost she looked. He wanted answers but not at this expense. He was just about to tell her that when she started talking again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Okay… my father…" she looked at Spencer. "I'll tell you, Spencer, about my father, but it's not a pretty story, so I'm not going to stop once I get rolling…"

"Scarlett…" he watched her eyes become unfocused as she started remembering. "Jesus…" he whispered as she seemed to slip into a trance.

"I told you he left for good when I was thirteen," she started, remembering their conversation from months ago. "Mom died when I was six so that gave him seven years to abuse me. He was drunk all the time, and violent. He was a sadistic bastard and liked to hit me with whatever was handy, his belt, an extension cord, or sometimes just his hands… I think he blamed me for my mother's death. Not that there was any excuse for what he did…" she stopped and shifted in her seat. Spencer saw her breathing change slightly as she wrapped her fingers around the coffee cup. "When I hit puberty, I guess I started to look like her, it changed things- he didn't hit me as much anymore," she drew in a shaky breath and continued. "I was young enough, stupid enough to believe maybe things were getting better, but it wasn't- It wasn't better…"

Spencer noticed the crack in her voice and felt his heart break. "Scarlett," he said softly, but she was lost in her memories and didn't hear him.

"Frannie lived only a few blocks away. I knew all the back yards to her house, every route, so I could get there, get away from him as fast as I could. Sometimes I wasn't fast enough…" her eyes filled with tears. "I tried everything I could, I tried being good… I kept the house perfectly, like mama used to, so he wouldn't get mad, but it didn't help…"

Spencer started to worry when her voice changed pitch. She sounded like a child and her voice shook in fear.

"Scarlett…" he reached for her hand, but she pulled back quickly, meeting his eyes but not looking at him. He knew she was seeing something from the past; he was just concerned about what.

"No! Don't touch me…" she cringed. "Please don't touch me… I can't bear it again!" Her head snapped up and she turned as if she heard something. "He's coming…" she whispered.

Spencer moved his hand back. "Don't do this, Scarlett…" He watched as minutes ticked by and she said nothing, caught somewhere in her mind, in the past.

She shook her head. "He always found me, no matter where I hid… He'd find me, but he didn't beat me anymore. He… he would…" she trembled violently and grabbed herself tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and rocking in the seat. "I couldn't get away. I wasn't ever strong enough to fight him off… I can't, I can't go back there… please don't make me remember!" she cried, tears now streaming down her face.

"Scarlett!" Spencer moved over to kneel before her. "Stop, just stop… come back to me." He swallowed hard against bile rising in his throat, afraid for what she was reliving in her mind. He grabbed her shoulders and she screamed.

"Scarlett," he shook her gently. "Come back to me…" he said again, more firmly. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch, holding her close as she cried into his chest.

"I'm so scared…" she said, curling into herself. "I was so scared…" she said, squeezing her eyes shut, pulling herself out from the memories, trying to fight through what was blurring the lines between the then and now. She shuddered and grabbed Spencer's hand, gripping it tightly.

"I am so sorry, beautiful. I'm right here…" he pressed his lips to her temple, rocking her in his arms. "I'm sorry I even asked…" he said softly.

Scarlett took a deep breath, pulling in his scent surrounding her. She concentrated on his hands brushing back her hair, his lips whispering against her skin, trying to block out the memory of harsh hands and the smell of alcohol and cigars. She shuddered and bolted from his lap, running for the bathroom.

Spencer moved behind her but she slammed the door closed as she began to retch into the toilet. She sat on the floor, waiting for the nausea to pass. She could hear him pacing outside the door.

"Spencer, if you want to help, please go and make me some tea. Stop hovering…" she called out weakly. She heard him leave the room and rinsed her face and mouth out. She looked at herself in the mirror, taking stock. Her hair was disheveled and her face mottled. Her over-bright eyes stood out even more since they were circled in red from crying.

"Great…" she muttered at her reflection, splashing her face with more cold water. Her skin felt like it was crawling, she felt filthy. Yanking off her clothes, she hung Spencer's sweater on a hook on the back of the door and climbed into the shower. She prayed the water would stay hot enough, long enough for her to be able to feel clean again.

Spencer paced across the living room to the bathroom again, listening to the shower run. He ran a hand through his hair, turned away and then back again. She'd already been in there for forty three minutes and seventeen seconds. He listened to the water still running as he continued pacing. When he heard it shut off, another six minutes and four seconds later, he sat down on the side of the bed watching the door.

Scarlett rubbed herself dry, wrung out her hair and pulled Spencer's sweater over her body. She zippered it up and breathed in his scent. Taking another fortifying breath, she stepped out the door.

He stood up from the bed, shocked into silence when he saw her wearing nothing but his sweater. The breath he'd been holding left his lungs in a rush as he fought against erotic thoughts that ran through his mind, figuring that would be the last thing she needed right now.

Scarlett looked around the room quickly, noticing that he'd already straightened up her earlier mess. She looked at him from under her lashes, unable to meet his eyes, embarrassment making her face burn.

"Thank you…" she said in a small voice.

Spencer took a step towards her and stopped when she backed up. "For what?" he asked gently, jamming his hands into his front pockets so he wouldn't reach for her.

She watched her toes. "For cleaning up my mess… I would have gotten it…" she told him. She looked down at her hands barely poking out of the sleeves of his sweater.

"It's kind of big on you," he said, trying a smile.

She nodded distractedly. "I hope you don't mind, that I put it back on," she said in that tiny voice. "It's warm and it smells like you," she burrowed into the collar as she headed out of the room.

"No, of course not…" he told her, watching her carefully. "I'm warm and smell like me, too…" he said quietly and she looked back at him. He ducked his head down.

Scarlett turned at his comment and saw him standing there, scuffing his toe against the carpet. His hands were jammed into the front of his jeans pockets, his head lowered watching his feet. When he raised his face, she saw his eyes were still slightly red, so she knew he'd been crying.

She covered the distance between them tentatively, stepping up to him and laid her forehead against his chest. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, he exhaled sharply, his hands now fisted at his side.

"Scarlett," he said quietly. "May I hold you, please…" he asked, afraid of frightening her. His muscles stiffened, waiting for her answer.

When she nodded, she felt him press his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. His arms came around her shoulders to pull her close. He ran his fingers through her damp hair, separating the curls and laying them across her back. She listened to his heart beating under her ear and pressed a kiss to his chest. When she moved to pull away, he let her go reluctantly.

"I'm going to get some tea," she said quietly, moving out of his arms. "I may have left some hot water for you, if you wanted to get a shower," she smiled slightly and reached up and tugged at his hair. "The road does damage," she told him. "You won't be able to get a brush through the knots tomorrow if you don't use conditioner tonight…"

"Okay," he nodded, figuring a cold shower was fine for him anyway. When she left, he grabbed up some clean clothes and towels, stripping as he moved to hurry the process along, because her didn't want to leave her alone.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Scarlett sat on the couch, her legs tucked up into the sweater with a mug of tea in her hands. She'd flipped on the stereo, listening to more of the music that Spencer and Penny had entered into her hijacked iPod. One piano piece in particular caught her attention and she listened closely, enjoying the soft sound. She heard him shut the water off after what had to be the world's quickest, coldest shower and she shook her head. When he stepped into the living room, hair still dripping, she just laughed her throaty chuckle. Spencer picked his head up at the sound and looked at her with a shy smile.

"I love that laugh," he told her.

She smiled and stood up on the couch. "Good, I happen to like to do it a lot," she teased. "Come here…" she crooked her finger, calling him closer. "Bring that towel, too…" she told him, waiting patiently.

Spencer moved in front of her and she placed the towel over his damp shirt where his hair had dripped onto his shoulders. She shook her head slightly and bit the inside of her cheek as she laughed again.

"You're soaked…" she chastised him, running the towel through his hair. "You're going to catch a cold," she said lightly.

"You can't catch a cold from wet hair," he told her matter-of-factly. "That's an old myth…" he was just about to explain how infections were transferred when he caught her smile and realized she was teasing him. She rubbed the towel roughly into his head as he grinned.

"Okay, pretty boy, I think you're good now," she told him, stepping down from the couch and heading to the bathroom to hang up the towel.

He watched her moved through the rooms, her bare thighs peeking out of the oversized sweater and closed his eyes tightly. "So much for the cold shower myth, too," he muttered.

"What?" she asked.

He opened his eyes and took a small step back. "Nothing," he said jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants in an attempt to hide his arousal.

Scarlett cocked her head to the side intrigued. She took a step forward and he squirmed. "You've started talking to yourself now?" she asked lightly.

"Apparently," he said shifting his feet slightly. He watched her move towards him warily.

When she stepped closer reaching towards him and he took a step back, her eyes rounded. She pulled away.

"Sorry," she said quietly, turning her attention to something else. "I won't touch you…" she said. Her emotions ran into overload and she felt her face burn.

"You don't have to stay, Spencer…" she blurted out, thinking maybe he felt as she was now damaged or dirty. "I can deal with it, if you can't… but don't play games, okay?"

"No! Scarlett, no! That's not it, that's not why… Christ…" he pulled his hands from his pockets and grabbed her, her hip bumping into his arousal. "I don't want to push you away, Scarlett, I just… didn't want to scare you either…" he stood stock still waiting while she absorbed that bit of information. He'd expected her to pull away when he'd grabbed at her like that, but instead she stayed in place. She touched him, running her palm against his erection, the heat from her hand warming through his cotton pants. He shivered slightly, willing himself to think of other things besides her hands on him.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "I thought..." she started.

"No…" he said again. "You thought wrong…" he told her adamantly. "I didn't want to scare you… I don't know what you're feeling right now," he said frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair and she jumped back when he moved. He quickly tucked his hands into his pockets again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Scarlett hesitated and then moved back towards him again. "No, I'm sorry," she told him. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Raising her hands slightly towards him, she trailed a hand down his chest. "I don't know what I'm feeling right now, either, okay? I just don't know, so I can't tell you, but I'm not trying to hide anything from you, Spence... I just don't know…"

"Katy… You don't have to explain…" he said stepping towards her. When she jumped nervously again, he froze.

Scarlett growled at herself and squeezed her eyes shut. "Damn it!" she swore. "I hate feeling like this…" she opened her eyes and looked at him.

Spencer stood there, sadness etched on his face. "I don't like seeing you like this either…" he admitted.

She blew out a stuttered breath. "Just, hold still… don't move," she clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes. "I've just got to get these other images out of my head…" she pressed her fists to her eyes.

When she peeked up at him, he still hadn't moved. She met his eyes and looked away quickly. He watched as she stepped forward, and hesitantly ran her hand down the front of his shirt. She concentrated on her own hand; the texture of the material, the feeling of the buttons against her fingers, the heat from his skin radiating through the shirt. She felt herself want to pull away again and forced herself to stay. She pulled in a breath through her nose and pressed her lips together in a thin line. She could smell his hair and shampoo and his skin still damp from the shower. Soap and Polo and Spencer… she reminded herself. Good scents, things she loved…

Spencer watched as her brows furrowed in concentration, as if touching him was a painful thing for her and he felt a stab in his heart. He didn't know what she was seeing in her mind and didn't know how to help her through any of this. So he did as she'd asked, and didn't move. When she reached for the buttons of his shirt, her hand was trembling.

"Scarlett..."

"It's okay," she told him, turning her huge eyes up to meet his. "I'm okay…" she ran her hand along his arm, trailing a finger against the bruise that rode on his bicep. She smiled softly and stepped a little closer. "I'm okay… I'm with you," she told him.

When he saw fear still in those green depths, he only nodded and swallowed hard. He felt her fingers work the buttons open at his neck as she stroked his collarbone softly with her fingers. This time he closed his eyes. She undid the rest of the shirt so his chest was exposed. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his skin, resting one palm over his heart. She closed her eyes and felt the strong beat against her hand and sighed. She felt the muscles of his chest and arms, strong and tight under his soft skin, reminding herself again that she was touching him. His strength, his warmth…

Spencer held his breath under her tender scrutiny. When she moved closer and he felt her breath fan against his chest he slowly exhaled, clenching his jaw tightly reminding himself to not move. When her lips moved across his skin he felt his knees go weak.

"Scarlett..." he croaked out. "I'm not going to be able to not move if you're going to do that," he warned. His body shivered as she pressed another kiss to his chest as if in proof to his words.

She nodded and her hair brushed against his chest. "I need to touch you Spencer," she said softly, her words raising chills against his skin.

His groan echoed in his chest and she pressed her ear against him, listening to the timbre vibrate there.

"Talk to me, Spencer. I need to hear your voice," she told him, slowly reaching her arms around his waist. She leaned into his chest and gently stroked his back.

Spencer groaned again, his arms tensing with the need to hold her. "I don't know what to say, my beautiful girl…" he told her. "I want to fix everything, make it all better and I don't know how," he lowered his head just a little, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"My darling, my love…" he said taking a step closer, praying she didn't startle again. "My friend, my lover… my life…" he said huskily.

Scarlett's breath hitched and she felt her heart stutter. "Spence…" she raised her face to his.

Spencer moved slowly, setting his hands to her waist very gently. When she didn't pull away, he lowered his head and carefully kissed her lips.

Scarlett leaned into the kiss. He moved, raising his hands to her face, gently stroking her neck, jaw and cheeks. He kissed her again, tasting her soft lips, drawing her closer still. When he heard that familiar purr in her throat, his body reacted and he pressed into her. Her nails bit into his back.

"Scarlett…" he moaned her name into her mouth. "I can't…"

She felt him tremble against her and she moved her hands back down along his hips, pulling him against her.

"You can't what, my sweet boy?" she asked gently nipping at his lips.

He ran his tongue along her mouth and when she parted her lips he pressed closer. "I can't stop," he said in a moan. "I need you, Scarlett, please. I need you…"

"Okay," she told him softly. "It's okay, baby. I'm alright. I need you too…"

She felt his hands clench at her shoulders then release, moving down to her hips, pulling the sweater up. Once it was above her waist, he reached down and stroked his hands along her thighs and up to her ass. His breathing shifted sharply and he pulled her leg up onto his hip.

Scarlett threw her head back as he trailed kisses down her throat. "Please, Spencer…"

He lifted her then, picking her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. When he moved over to the bed and laid her down, he stopped briefly, to look into her eyes.

"If you want me to stop, just say stop, Scarlett, alright?" he wanted to be certain that she understood, that she was fine… he looked her over carefully. Her lips were swollen and slightly parted and a flush crossed her neck, chest and cheeks as he knew it did when she was aroused. "Promise me, you will…"

"I promise. Make love to me Spencer…"

The slow burn that was in his blood turned into a full on flame at her words. He unzipped the sweater, pulling it away from her body, kissing her skin. When she shivered, he pulled the blankets back and covered them together, keeping her warm with them and his body.

Scarlett arched against him, tugging at his pants, pulling them from him until there was nothing between them but heat. She sighed as he slid against her skin, running his hands over her hips. When she arched against him, he slid into her warmth, watching her eyes the entire time. She focused on him, lacing her fingers behind his neck, pulling him into her kiss.

"What are you thinking, farm boy?" she asked him when she saw he was watching her again. She rested her hand against his cheek and he kissed her palm.

"A hundred different things, crazy girl…" he said, kissing her nose. He grinned slightly. "Predominantly at this moment, I'm thinking of chess…"

Scarlett laughed. He could feel her body relax completely as the sound reached his heart. "Are you laughing at me?" he teased. "That's not exactly something a guy wants to hear in bed…" he nuzzled into her neck, tickling her.

"A girl doesn't exactly want her guy thinking about chess, either," she joked back shifting slightly and hooking her ankle behind his knee. She pushed him onto his back and moved on top of him.

"Mmm… I said mostly chess…" he told her between her flurry of light kisses across his face. When she pressed her lips against his, he held her close. She stretched over his body, rocking slightly and he closed his eyes and arched deeper. "I have to think of something, Scarlett or I'd never last…" he told her in a groan.

"Then what else are you thinking about then, besides chess?" she asked, pulling herself up into a seated position across his hips. When she rocked against him this time, she felt him tense. She smiled as his eyes scanned her body and he gripped the sheets at his side.

"Scarlett…" he arched again and this time she anticipated his reaction and ground down against him and rocked back. He moaned.

She saw sweat bead across his forehead. She leaned down slightly, moving slowly, contracting her muscles against him. Her hair fell in a curtain alongside his face and he felt like he was surrounded by her.

"I want you thinking about me, Spencer Reid…" she told him huskily, her breath against his ear. She kissed and nipped lightly at his neck. "I want to feel your body tremble for me," she spoke softly, pulling away slightly, teasing him, before moving back down. She continued the gentle torture as his breathing changed. "I want to know how bad you need me."

When she moved to pull back again, he grabbed her hips, and pushed her back onto the bed, driving himself deeply into her.

"No, no more," he panted. "Scarlett…" he felt himself tense. "God… I can't talk, I can't think…" he moved against her again and felt her body respond to his. Her heat burned though him and he followed her as she came…

Spencer dropped down across her, breathing heavily. When she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, he shifted just slightly to her side so he could hug her to him. He kissed her again, pulling her head onto his shoulder.

Scarlett was just drifting off to sleep when she felt Spencer tense up under her. She picked her head up and looked at him.

"What's wrong, pretty boy?" she asked running a hand across his cheek.

He looked up at her and caught her eyes. "Just thought of something…" he said vaguely.

"What?"

He sighed deeply. "Well, at least we _bought_ condoms," he said sardonically, watching as that sunk in for her.

Scarlett covered her mouth. "Oh for Christ's sake," she rolled her eyes. "We aren't very responsible rabbits, are we?" she sighed.

"I guess not…" he shifted as Scarlett lay back down against him. He kissed her nose and saw her wrinkle it and smile.

She moved a foot and kicked something on the bed. Turning, she reached over and picked up the photo album that he'd had thrown on the bed earlier. She lifted it and cocked her head towards him.

Spencer sat up beside her. "Morgan pulled them out before…" he said by way of explanation, not sure what to say. He wasn't sure if he'd been snooping by looking through them. He shrugged slightly.

Scarlett nodded and switched on a small night lamp alongside the bed. She scooted back against the headboard and patted her lap.

"Come here, farm boy and cuddle. I'll tell you a story…" she said softly, knowing a part of him still wanted to know about her past.

"You don't…"

She smiled and pulled him closer. "I know… I know I don't… I want to, okay?" she dropped a kiss to his brow as he lay against her side. She opened the album and started telling him about her life in Chicago.

Dawn was starting to show its signs through the bedroom window as Spencer reentered the room and handed Scarlett a bottle of water he'd retrieved from the fridge. She was sitting cross legged in the middle of the bed, watching the first rays of light stream in. When he sat back against the headboard, she leaned back on him and looked up.

"It's been a while since I've pulled an all-nighter," she told him with a smile, stretching her legs out until her toes touched his.

"I'm a bad influence," he remarked wrapping his arms back around her. He flipped the blankets up to cover them both. "Good thing it's a Sunday and we can sleep in," he said nuzzling into her neck and kissing her ear.

She giggled and turned in his arms to kiss him. "Mmm, but I'm not really sleepy," she told him with a smile, pulling him down over her.

Spencer moved over her, pressing her back against the mattress. "I was hoping you'd say that…"

They both stopped and tensed up as each of their phones began to ring. Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Always bad timing…" she muttered and reached over to grab her phone from the nightstand.

Spencer answered his first. "Reid…" he heard JJ's voice rushing through the receiver.

"We have an urgent case, how quick can you get here?" she asked.

He looked at the clock quickly. "We can be there within the hour JJ," he answered looking at Scarlett. She nodded while talking to who he'd assumed was Morgan.

"Right, okay…" he heard her saying.

JJ's voice muffled and she came back on the line. "We're going to head to Ohio…"

"Okay," he agreed. "About forty minutes, maybe less," he said as he watched Scarlett drag on some clothes in a hurry while still listening on her phone.

"Right… see you there," JJ answered and disconnected the call.

Spencer grabbed his clothes out of the closet, following Scarlett into the bathroom. She was trying to run a brush through her hair while still on the phone. When the brush tangled up around one of the ends, she dropped it and threw a baleful glance in his direction. Spencer laughed lightly and picked up the brush, pulling it loose and worked it through the rest of her hair. He twisted it up as he'd seen her do on other mornings and secured it in a clip on top of her head while she finished brushing her teeth.

When she checked out his handiwork in the mirror, she turned and gave him a quick kiss. "I think I'll keep you," she teased. "You come in handy…"

He laughed. "Fine, but leave now so I can finish getting ready… " he swatted her across the backside as she exited the room. He heard her laugh as she continued her conversation with Derek.

Within a half hours' time, they were ready and heading to his car. Scarlett handed him a travel mug of coffee and grabbed her own as they headed out the door.

"The unsub has killed two couples in two weeks?" he was asking her, clarifying some of the information that Morgan had given her over the phone. To save time, Derek had read the case file to her, knowing she'd remember every detail and pass it along to Spencer.

"Not much of a cooling off period," she said following him down the staircase.

When Spencer stopped suddenly at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to face her, she stepped back and cocked her head. "What?" she asked, seeing a slight change cross across over his face.

He stepped up one tread so they were eye level, pulled her close and kissed her. "I may not get many chances to do this in the next few days…" he said, kissing her again.

"Oh…" she leaned against his tall frame. "In that case…" she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back more fully.

"I love you, Scarlett…" he told her, kissing her cheek.

"I love you, too, Spence…" she grabbed his hand and pressed three fingers into his palm and he smiled and returned the gesture.


	13. Chapter 13

These next chapters utilize the story line from "Compromising Positions" created by the writers of Criminal Minds. All credit for that dialogue goes to them. I do not own or take credit for any scenes from the actual show. Some parts have been changed to fit the OC.

Chapter 13

Scarlett took a seat next to Spencer, listening to the details of the case as it was discussed around her. She handed a coffee over to him and he took it gratefully. She smiled. "It's going to be a highly caffeinated day," she joked.

Derek scoffed, "When isn't it, with you?"

"True," she saluted him with her mug and turned her attention back to the others.

"Scott and Cathy Hartway… found in their car in an isolated spot," Hotch was saying as they saw crime scene images on their tablets and the wall.

"The Son of Sam had a short cooling off period… he also attacked couples in cars," Spencer stated.

"Yes, but the first couple were killed in their house Robert and Allison Keppler, in both cases the husbands were killed with a silenced nine millimeter, the wife was stabbed multiple times," Aaron continued.

"Crosses racial lines," Rossi interjected.

"And socio-economical ones," Hotch added. "The Keppler's lived in an upscale neighborhood, the Hartway's were blue collar."

"That's a big change in crime scenes," Derek said while scanning the pictures. "Car verses house, two radically different m.o.'s…"

"Not to mention, he subdues two people that takes a lot of skill," Rossi added.

"There's no indication as to how he overwhelms them," Reid stated. "There's no ante mortem bruising he doesn't use a blitz attack…"

"But with a nine millimeter, he had the control," Scarlett stated. "You threaten one spouse; the other will comply."

"How about signs of forced entry to the house or car?" Morgan asked.

Hotch shook his head slightly. "No, but Akron PD did find this…" he flipped a picture up on the wall of heavy bruising around the male's wrists.

"Handcuffs…" Derek shook his head. "So he restrains the husbands and saves the real savagery for the wife…"

"Is this right?" Rossi asked after reading something in the details. "They found used condoms on both the husbands?"

"And both had Viagra in their systems -neither had prescriptions," Hotch confirmed.

"So the unsub gives the husband's Viagra and forces them to have sex before he kills them…" Scarlett stored that information away.

"And given the time table, he's going to strike again soon… we head to Akron tonight, wheels up in three hours," he told the room as JJ entered to discuss something with him.

Scarlett left the meeting and made a beeline to the coffee pot once again. Reid followed her and shook his head when she offered him a refill.

"No wonder why you never sleep," he told her.

"No time for sleeping right now, farm boy…" she caught the concerned look on his face and smiled. "I'm fine, sweetie. How about you? You didn't sleep either…"

"I'm okay. I'm used to it…"

"I am too…" she told him. "So you can stop worrying and wipe that look off your face," she teased.

"What look? Why does everyone always say I get a 'look'?" he asked incredulously.

He heard Morgan's laugh from behind him. "Because you always have some sort of 'look' when it comes to Scarlett," he teased his friend. "Sometimes it's worry, sometimes it's a love sick puppy," Derek chuckled.

"D…" Scarlett said in an exasperated tone.

Morgan grabbed himself a cup of coffee. "Truth…" he said lightly with a shrug to Reid. "Sometimes it's painful to watch…"

Spencer scowled. "I don't look like a puppy…" he grimaced.

Garcia came up behind them, dragging a rolling suitcase. "Reid? Of course you do… especially if Scarlett's around," she interjected with a grin.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Not helping, Pens…" she said watching Spencer blush and rub at his neck nervously. "What are you all packed up for?" she asked changing the subject before Reid fled.

"JJ can't make this trip, so I am acting temporary liaison," Garcia said proudly. "Henry is running a fever and has a doctor appointment in the morning," she explained.

"Oh, poor little guy," Scarlett said turning her eyes back to where JJ was leaving the conference room. "I hope he's okay…"

"They are thinking maybe the flu," Penelope stated. "I hate seeing him sick though, too. He wants his mommy… So I jumped in so she could stay home on this one…"

"There is a stomach virus going around, and it's been a bad season for the flu," Spencer said joining the safer conversation. "The CDC issued a warning and produced a higher volume of vaccinations for this coming season. They increased it by 38%..."

"Why do you know this stuff?" Morgan asked.

Reid looked at him confused. "It was in the government report. I read it," he said simply.

"You just read government reports for fun?" Morgan looked at Scarlett. "You must not be keeping him busy enough…" he teased.

"I'll be sure to leave a stack of the latest ones on your desk, since you are in such a slump…" Scarlett tossed back at him. Reid laughed.

"I'm not 'in a slump'…" Derek countered.

"Mmm-hmm… I guess Jessica called you back then?" she asked coyly.

Morgan scowled slightly. "No… but…"

"Yeah, I didn't think so…" she turned and grabbed Spencer's hand. "C'mon sweetie, we've got three hours to burn, let's go be rabbits," she joked, looking back over her shoulder to her brother. "Who's got a 'look' now?" she asked.

"Funny, Scarlett, very funny…" Morgan threw back at her.

She smiled and gave him a hand gesture behind her back. She heard his laughter follow her out the doors.

When they reached the car to collect their go bags, Spencer looked over at Scarlett. "I'm sorry if I follow you around like a love sick puppy," he told her, looking out of sorts again.

"What?" Scarlett looked up and caught his eyes. "C'mon, farm boy, you aren't taking Derek's teasing to heart, are you?"

"_You_ said I was giving you a look," he stated.

"You worry too much," she told him. "I get that. _I_ was talking about your worried look. I don't like to be the reason why you worry, Spencer. I can go without sleep…"

He nodded and shifted slightly. "Still…"

Scarlett sighed and moved to stand before him, leaning against the fender. "Still…" she reached up and brushed some of his hair away from his face. "I'd rather be the reason you smile," she said as she pulled him closer.

Reid looked around quickly, scanning the parking lot. He leaned in closer and stole a kiss. "You always make me smile, Katy," he told her his voice husky.

"Mmm, more than you worry?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He laughed. "Maybe equal," he teased, grinning. He allowed her to pull him forward into a deeper kiss. When they broke apart, he sucked in a deep breath. "There are cameras watching us, Scarlett," he warned.

"There you go, worrying again," she told him, leaning up and trailing light kisses to his neck. When she nipped at his throat, he groaned.

"Scarlett…" he warned.

"Spencer…" she said with a teasing chuckle. She heard him growl quietly in his chest.

Reid lifted her to the fender and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he removed the clip and ran his hands through her hair. Moving his hands to the sides of her face, he used the angle and her hair to cover them slightly from prying eyes. He tasted her mouth, her lips and her jaw until her breath was starting to hitch into short pants.

She pulled him closer with her legs and ran her hands down his back to his ass, pressing against him.

"Cameras," he reminded her, his lips moving against her mouth. This time Scarlett growled.

"Let them watch," she said her voice growing husky with need. He nipped playfully at her lips while grabbing her hands and restraining them in his.

"Control yourself, crazy girl," he teased. "I think this is as far as we can go here…"

Scarlett pouted but pulled away a little. Reid laughed and kissed her protruding lip.

"Now you have a look on your face," he teased. Scarlett laughed and kissed his forehead.

"This look is only for you, sweetie," she told him and kissed him again.

Spencer hugged her close before helping her slide to her feet. "I think that makes me the luckiest man in the world," he told her, clipping her hair back into place.

Scarlett slid her arm around his waist and tucked her hand into his back pocket.

Within the next hour, they were in the jet heading to Ohio, discussing more details of the case.

"I keep bumping on the fact that he makes a married couple have sex before killing them…" Rossi stated. "What does he accomplish with that?"

"You know, the stabbing of the wives is almost certainly piqueristic, the unsub gets sexual gratification from penetration with the knife. Most piquerists are impotent, men like Albert Fish, Ian Schoolar, Andrei Chikatilo… but for him it could be a substitute for sex," Reid stated adding his working theories to the growing profile.

"The unsub could be playing a mind game, also- the shots to the husband's aren't clean. They had to watch what he did to their wives as they died…" Scarlett shook her head in disbelief.

"So this guy challenges their manhood by forcing them to have sex and then mocks them with the over kill. That kind of psychological torture makes him a sexual sadist," Morgan said.

"That would explain the amount of control he exhibits over the crime scene, the handcuff's, the condoms, the silencer… he plans out every detail," Spencer stated.

"If he's that precise, he'd be just as precise in his victimology… but he's all over the map in terms in class and race," Rossi countered.

"There has to be something else about these couples that attracts him, something he couldn't learn by stalking them anonymously - maybe the couples met the unsub before?" Scarlett asked.

"Rossi, Reid - handle the family interviews; Morgan, Ryan- go to the latest crime scene. We need to learn as much as we can about him, so let's pin down the m.o.," Hotch stated as the plane headed in for landing.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The team spent most of the day interviewing the families of the victims and researching crime scenes. Scarlett was starting to feel the effects of going without sleep. She scrubbed at her face and reached for her coffee.

"This is the second crime scene," she said, flipping pictures onto the screen on the wall. "The unsub took the Hartways to Lovers Lane, then he turned the heat up in the vehicle and tuned the radio a soul music station…"

"This is the first crime scene, Al Green was in the cd player and candles had been lit," Morgan added.

"He's staging the scene," Hotch stated.

"Control is critical to him, we know this, but to a different end than we originally thought," she mentioned.

"These murders are about the fantasy, only the fantasy isn't sadistic it's romantic…"

"But we profiled from the interviews that he's picking the husband's first," Reid interjected. "How is that romantic?"

"Alpha males marry the most attractive females… Once he meets the husband, he knows the wife is going to fit his needs," Scarlett said off-handedly.

"We know this unsub is impotent, but what we are seeing here isn't the usual psychological block keeping him from getting aroused, this is physiological," Morgan added.

"How can you be sure of that?" Dave asked

"He brings Viagra to the crime scenes," Scarlett commented. "If he wanted, he could pop a pill, let the drug take effect, instead he gives it to the husbands, why?"

"It's not working for him anymore…" Rossi said noticing the connection.

"Something happened to this guy, prostate cancer, surgery, something…" Morgan said. "but whatever it was, it cut him off from fulfilling his needs so he's using the couples as surrogates."

"So why is he making the husband wear a condom?" Hotch asked.

Morgan shrugged. "We don't know the connection to that one yet…"

"He's going to kill the husband, anyway… he can't perform on the wives- the condoms are just redundant," Reid said looking over to catch Scarlett's eyes.

"The theory is right, he's working out a fantasy where contraception plays a key role. Until we understand what that role is, we aren't going to find him…" Hotch stated. He turned away from the images across the screen.

"We've worked out his possible motivation, probable targets…" he added. "It's as much as we can do for now. Let's take a break and look at this with fresh eyes in the morning," he told the team.

Scarlett hung back looking over the crime scene images once more. Spencer moved to stand beside her.

"What is motivating this guy?" she asked, her eyes scanning for a missed detail.

"Hotch is right, Scarlett. We need to step away for a little while," he told her, taking her hand in his. "Are you hungry? I haven't seen you eat anything all day…" Spencer rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

Scarlett sighed. "I forgot to eat," she said with a shrug.

Spencer shook his head and tugged her a little closer. "Why am I not surprised?" he asked, dropping a light kiss to her temple.

She smiled and leaned against him. "Okay… okay- let's go grab food…"

"There's a diner just down the street from the hotel…" he suggested.

"Sounds good to me, lead the way sweetie…" Scarlett followed him out of the room, away from the images that were now burned forever into her mind anyway.

Hotchner and Rossi had left to check in at the hotel, so Morgan and Penelope decided to join them at the diner. As there food was being delivered, Garcia took a call from Rossi. Scarlett looked up at her giggle.

"I don't think that will be a huge problem…" she was saying into the phone. "I'll mention it, right…" Garcia hung up and looked over at Scarlett's raised eyebrow.

"Problem?" Scarlett asked.

"Depends on how you look at it," Penelope smiled. "The hotel overbooked, we are one room short…" she looked from Scarlett to Reid. "Someone's going to have to double up…" she grinned.

Scarlett looked sideways at Reid to catch the blush tingeing his face. "Penny… you did that on purpose…" she accused her friend.

Penelope shrugged. "If that's a problem, you can stay with me," she said, not understanding her two friends' lack of enthusiasm.

"You snore…" Scarlett scowled. "And it's not good protocol for Reid and I to share a bed while on a case, Pens…"

Garcia furrowed her brows. "Sorry…" she took a bite of her meal. "If you don't really have a problem other than 'protocol' then we'll just book the room under you and I, but Reid can just stay with you…" she said subdued.

Scarlett looked over at Spencer. He met her eyes and just shrugged. "Fine, but next time, please get us our own rooms," she begged her friend. "We'll handle logistics, if we need to, okay doll?"

Garcia smiled. "Deal," she agreed.

After eating their meals they walked to the hotel to check in. Once behind closed doors, Scarlett turned to Spencer.

"If you're uncomfortable with us staying together while on a case, Spence, I'll stay with Penny. I don't have a problem with that…" she told him.

Reid dropped his bag inside the doorway. "No… I mean I don't have a problem with us staying together. I just wasn't expecting it. I got caught off guard and wasn't sure what to say," he responded with a shrug.

Scarlett cocked her head to the side and watched him speculatively. "You were embarrassed," she stated the obvious.

"Yes, no… yes," he sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not used to this… having my work and personal life collide…" he rubbed at his neck. "Everyone knows we are sleeping together…"

"Everyone already knew that, sweetie…" Scarlett watched him process that. "We haven't exactly kept it a secret…"

When he turned red again, Scarlett sighed and picked up her bag. "I'm going to stay with Penny…" she told him.

"What?! No, Scarlett, no…wait…" he grabbed her arm as she was about to head to the door.

"Spence, I am not going to be far," she told him. "I don't like making you uncomfortable…"

"Scarlett," he took a step closer to her. "Please, don't go. I want you here. I want you with me…" he took her bag and dropped it next to his. "It kind of scares me how much I want you with me…" he admitted, realizing that was part of his problem. "I'm not used to needing someone, but if you leave I will just sit here wishing you were with me. So, don't go…"

"Oh…" Scarlett watched him move closer as he reached for her hand and pulled her against his chest.

"Please stay," she heard him say softly. She reached up and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"Okay…" she said. Hugging him closer, she snuggled into his embrace.

"I love you, Scarlett," he said softly. "Sometimes that scares me, too."

Scarlett smiled softly at his admission. "I love you, Spencer," she answered. "and I'm okay with you being scared, as long as you don't run away…" she lifted her face to look into his and he reached down and kissed her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her.

Scarlett kissed him lightly and moved out of his arms. "Good. I've grown quite fond of having you around, farm boy…" she laughed and squeezed his hand. Moving over to her bag again, she pulled some clothing out.

"I'm going to try to do some meditations," she told him. "Clear out my mind… you want to try?" she asked.

Spencer smiled. "I think I'll just watch you," he teased. "That'll be enough to clear my mind." He watched as she shimmied out of her jeans and into a pair of yoga pants. He grabbed the pillows across the bed and lay down to watch her move.

Scarlett looked over her shoulder to see him grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Uh-huh… no touch-y, farm boy, eyes only…"

Reid tucked his hands under the pillows, leaning forward onto them fully. "I promise to behave," he told her. When she moved to plug in her ear phones, he stopped her.

"I want to hear the music, too…" he said shifting slightly so he was stretched out across the bed.

Scarlett looked over at him, watching as his hazel eyes absorbed her every move. She arched an eyebrow. "Okay…" and plugged her phone into her laptop speakers so the music filled the room.

Spencer recognized the song to be one from The Killers, since they seemed to be one of her favorite bands, but he couldn't remember hearing this particular song. As she started her stretching to warm up, he reached over and looked at the screen to see it read "All the Pretty Faces". He scrolled through the titles without interrupting the music to see what else she was listening to. He smiled when he saw some of the songs he'd added had now made her playlist.

Scarlett had closed her eyes and was concentrating on her breathing and the music. After completing a modified rendition of her work out, she sat in the lotus position to try meditating but lack of sleep was making it impossible to concentrate. She felt herself yawn as her body began to slump. She'd just decided to give in and go to bed when she felt Spencer's arms come around her and lift her up from the floor.

"I can do it," she mumbled. She felt his chest vibrate under her ear as he chuckled.

"You fell asleep on the floor, crazy girl," he told her, tucking her into the blankets. "You're exhausted. Just sleep…" he pressed a kiss to her forehead and moved away.

Scarlett reached for him. "Don't go…" she said, opening her eyes slightly. He knelt down into her line of sight.

"I'm just getting changed, darling. I'm not going anywhere," he told her as he brushed some of her hair off her face. "I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded and fought to keep her eyes open. When she felt his weight move onto the bed beside her, she moved into his arms and laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating under her ear and she sighed.

Spencer watched her sleeping in his arms for a while before he gave in to his own fatigue and curled around her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Scarlett woke up with the dawn the next morning, tucked in under Spencer's weight. She smiled when she opened her eyes to see him sound asleep, his head sharing a pillow, her hair still threaded through his fingers. His arm was across her shoulders and his leg lay across her hips, effectively pinning her to him. She reached her free hand over to trace her fingers down his cheek and lightly kissed his lips. He shifted slightly when she stopped. She grinned as he moved towards her in his sleep, his lips seeking hers. When she kissed him again, he sighed and returned the kiss, hitching his leg up higher on her hip, pulling her closer. She could feel the length of his need pressing against her thigh. She rolled her hips against his and he moaned.

Spencer felt her soft body under his and moved towards her warmth without hesitation. He was caught somewhere between asleep and awake and his only thought was to get closer to her. When he opened his eyes, he saw her smile and felt his heart trip in his chest.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said sleepily, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Mmm, good morning handsome," she chuckled lightly and pulled him over so he was lying on top of her fully. "Were you having a good dream?" she teased, arching up against him.

He leaned forward and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, nipping lightly. "Actually, this is better…" he told her, moving down her jaw to the hollow of her neck. "Much better," he said his voice huskier.

Scarlett laughed and threaded her fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face. She rubbed her cheek against the rough texture of his chin. He kissed the area reddened from the stubble.

"I need to shave," he said as she scratched his jaw with her fingers.

"Later," she told him as she pulled him closer. "I kind of like it…"

Spencer glanced over at the alarm clock on the side table. "You know we are going to get a wake-up call sooner rather than later…"

"Spoilsport…" she pouted playfully. "We can pretend for a little longer," she told him, stretching her arms up around his neck and pulling him against her.

"A little while longer…" he moved against her and stripped her shorts off. He moved slowly, watching her face as he entered her.

Scarlett closed her eyes and arched up to meet his hips. "Spence," she called his name softly, feeling his body respond to her voice. She chuckled throatily and he tensed.

"What?" he asked his own voice strained.

She moved slowly against him, feeling herself tighten like a bowstring. "No thinking about chess…" she teased, linking her legs behind his waist, pulling him in deeper.

He groaned and shifted. "No chess," he answered, trying to clear his head.

She grinned and rocked against him again. "No equations," she reprimanded lightly and heard him laugh.

"Scarlett…" he kissed her nose. "Your voice is driving me crazy…"

"In a good way or in a bad way?" she asked innocently, meeting his eyes. He watched as her pupils dilated and her face flushed.

He groaned as she tightened around him again. "God, Scarlett…" he pushed against her and felt her body climax and heard her breathing stutter as she gave into the sensation.

Spencer covered her mouth with his own, tasting her lips as he followed her over that edge. He collapsed on top of her as his legs gave out from under him.

Scarlett wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, stopping him from moving off her. He laid his head on her chest, listening to her breathing, hearing her heart beat strong against his ear.

"I'm too heavy," he said quietly, not really wanting to move.

When she laughed, he could feel the sound surround him. "No, you aren't," she told him, her voice reverberating through her chest against his ear. He snuggled closer, kissing her collarbone. She ran her fingers though his hair, lightly tracing his jaw. He closed his eyes for a few minutes.

"I love you, Scarlett," she heard him mumble sleepily.

"I love you, Spence," she told him, kissing the top of his head. "Rest now," she told him quietly, stealing a few more moments of blissful peace before their day had to start.

She felt his body weight relax against her and gently stroked his hair and back while he slept.

Scarlett heard her phone ringing and realized she must have dozed off too. She looked at the clock quickly noting they'd fallen back to sleep for another hour. She groaned as she reached for the phone.

Spencer shifted slightly when he felt her move but kept his arms wrapped tightly around her. He opened his eyes when he realized her phone was ringing.

"Ryan," she answered. "Hey, Derek, let me put you on speaker…" she pressed a button so Spencer could hear the conversation.

"Hey… they discovered another couple this morning," Morgan's voice came over the phone. "Hotch wants us to meet the coroner at the new crime scene, examine the bodies, see if there's anything new to clue us in on this guy…"

Spencer rolled over and stared at the ceiling, rubbing a hand across his eyes. "Do we have time for a shower and coffee?" he asked groggily.

Derek laughed. "Make it a quick shower, pretty boy… we'll pick up coffee on the way," he teased as he disconnected the call.

Scarlett slid out of the bed and grabbed some clothes and her accessory kit from her bag. "Come on farm boy…" she called over her shoulder as she headed into the bathroom. "One shower is quicker than two," she told him.

He watched her disappear behind the door and moved to grab his own belongings and follow her. She was already under the water when he joined her.

"One of these days I'd rather have the chance to take a long bath with you, instead of a quick shower," he remarked.

"So when I book our room in Chicago for this weekend, I'll make sure it has a large tub," she turned and smiled at him from under the spray. She finished rinsing her hair and switched places with him.

He just grunted in response and turned his back as felt his body heat with the images her simple statement brought to his mind. He felt her lips press against his bare back and shivered slightly in spite of the hot water.

"Later, sweetie…" she told him softly, kissing his back once again before exiting the shower. As soon as she stepped out of the tub, he cranked the handle over to cold water. Scarlett laughed lightly.

When he finished showering and pulled back the curtain, he saw his toiletries lined up on the countertop. She'd set out everything he needed saving some time and he knew her own belongings were now neatly tucked back away into her own bag. Sometimes being OCD served a purpose, he thought as he started shaving. When Scarlett came back into the bathroom dressed in what he considered her 'official' attire, a pair of pin striped pants, white button up shirt and matching jacket, he raised an eyebrow to her.

"I'm not sure if the family has been notified," she explained. "If not, I'd rather talk to them than have Penny have to do it," she shrugged, watching him as he finished shaving.

He met her eyes in the mirror as she bit her bottom lip. "What?" he asked, bending to rinse the razor in the sink.

She moved to stand in front of him and slid up onto the counter. "It drives me crazy watching you shave…" she told him as he finished one side. She took the razor from his hand.

"How?" he asked confused, watching her rinse the razor again and she set her fingers along his jaw to finish the other side. "Am I doing something wrong?"

Scarlett smiled. "No, handsome… it makes me hot…" she turned her smoldering gaze to meet his eyes.

"Oh," he said and shifted slightly.

"Oh…" she finished and wiped his face off with the towel. She pulled him in closer to kiss him. She bit his lip lightly and let him go. "And we don't have time…"

"No…" he agreed, clearing his throat. He stepped back.

Scarlett shook her head and turned around to clean off the counter and began storing his stuff away. "Go get dressed, Spencer, before I change my mind and make time…" she warned him.

"Okay, right…" he stepped out of the room, his hands clenched at his side.

Once they were ready and leaving the room, she turned and looked at him before opening the door.

"You really have no idea how sexy you are; do you?" she asked him with a smile.

Spencer barked out a laugh. "No, not hardly," he looked down at her. "But I'm more than thrilled you think so, crazy girl…" he kissed her quickly. "What else turns you on?" he asked, interested.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "You really have no clue," she shook her head. She thought for a moment and looked up at him. "Your glasses..." she told him and left the room.

Spencer stood in the doorway a moment longer, absorbing that. He shut the door and followed her.

"My _glasses_?" he asked incredulously.

Scarlett smiled at him over her shoulder and waited for him to catch up and enter the elevator with her. "Yes, _Reid_…" she said coquettishly. "Your glasses turn me on…"

"But I only really wear them at work…" he said.

Scarlett sighed. "I know… you kill me," she said. "Think about that the next time you put them on," she said with a wicked grin

"Maybe I better not…" he told her nervously.

"Oh, but you will," she teased. "And you'll get as hot as I am…" Stopping him with a hand to his chest, she pulled him in for a deep kiss before exiting the elevator into the lobby.

"Dammit, Scarlett," he growled after her and heard her husky laugh.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Reid caught up with Rossi in front of the victims' home after Scarlett and Morgan had gone inside to check out the scene.

"Scarlett said the unsub shot both victims' last night?" he asked, verifying the information.

Rossi nodded. "The housekeeper found them this morning," he stated.

"His routine was disrupted," Spencer said glancing around. "That means he made a mistake…"

"It also means he's out of control… he's enraged, he's going to attack again soon," Rossi added.

Reid looked over at the file. "Paul Wilson, spinal surgeon," he commented off-hand.

"Alpha male, just like the others…"

Reid stopped the tech who was removing the body of the male victim from the scene. "Could you guys hold on for a moment," he said as he pulled back the cover from the victim's legs. "He had offensive and defensive wounds all over his body…"

Rossi looked at the file in his hand. "He was cuffed behind his back, still put up a hell of a fight…"

"Because he knew how," Spencer said taking note of the bruising patterns along the victim's legs. "Look, the wounds extend from his knees to the soles of his feet…"

"That's full contact training," Rossi stated. "Now where would you learn something like that?"

"You know, my assumption would be a mixed martial arts gym. MMA has sky rocketed among men who want the most intense fighting possible…"

"Which our unsub would," Rossi agreed. "Could be where he's finding his victims…"

Reid nodded. "I'll follow up with the families…"

They entered the front door to check in with Morgan and Ryan to see if any further evidence had been brought to light with the new crime scene. There was always a hope that if the unsub had made a mistake, he'd gotten sloppy maybe leaving behind a clue.

Spencer found them in the master bedroom. Scarlett was leaning against Morgan, playing the part of the female vic, trying to ascertain how the scene unfolded.

"She has muzzle burns on her chest; that indicates point blank range…" Scarlett was saying. "If I'm Debra Wilson and you are the unsub… I have to get past you to get to the gun in the nightstand. Now, the report said she took her robe off? And now you are holding a nine millimeter right here, at my chest…" she shook her head.

Derek looked down at their close proximity, as Scarlett took his hand and rested it against her ribs. She looked up at him with wariness in her eyes. "What is she doing?" she asked looking around the room again.

"She offered herself to him?" Morgan suggested.

Scarlett scowled. "Why would she do that? Why not just lock herself in the bathroom or run out the door?" She scanned the room again noting several escape routes she would have chosen for herself. "Why not fight back?"

Morgan sighed. Scarlett couldn't put her mind set into the position of a woman who'd give in rather than fight back. "Survival isn't always logical, Katy, it's instinctual. _Her_ instincts probably told her this was her best chance for survival…"

Scarlett thought about that a moment. "Okay, so she's telling herself she's going to do whatever is necessary to get out of this alive… So she's just seen her husband die in front of her, then she comes on to the unsub? An overt sexual expression…"

"It's almost flexible- she goes from one man to the next without hesitation…" Derek looked at the expression on Scarlett's face.

"He makes the husband wear a condom…" she stated, looking across the room to where Reid was standing in the doorway watching her. He could tell something was linking up in her mind by her expression. "What's that say about him?"

"That he's protecting himself?" Reid offered.

"It's a sexual scenario, where he's sharing a woman with another man," Morgan stated, agreeing with Reid's assessment.

Scarlett looked between Spencer and Derek. "Am I crazy, or could this guy be a swinger?"

"He could have been a part of that scene until the impotence kicked in," Morgan said. "Now he's just trying to re-create it."

"These couples could have been his old partners," Reid suggested.

Scarlett nodded. "That could be the connection we are looking for… Now I just wonder if there is a way to find out who is currently hitting that scene?"

"If there is, you know baby girl will find it," Derek said, pulling out his phone to call Garcia.

Rossi walked over to join them as they left the home. "Hotch wants us back to the station to deliver the profile," he told them.

Morgan looked up from his phone. "Garcia found the name and address for a swing club, just a few blocks from here…"

Spencer looked at Scarlett. "You and Morgan follow up with the club, it's the best lead we have so far… I'll ride back with Rossi and explain it to him on the way. We'll fill Hotch in too."

Scarlett nodded in agreement and followed Morgan to the SUV.

Once back at the station Reid and Rossi were filling Hotch in on the gym/swinger scenario.

"Only Paul Wilson trained at an MMA gym, although the other husbands worked out regularly, from YMCA's to expensive fitness clubs," Reid was telling Hotchner.

"It makes sense, Alpha males care about their appearance…" Rossi interjected.

"The gym is also a good place to stalk victims…" Spencer stated.

"It doesn't tell us how he goes from stalking in a gym to getting inside their house…"

"It does give us a list from which we can eliminate," Hotch stated.

"Yeah, well we have a bigger problem," Rossi added. "The unsubs fantasy was interrupted. At the least, he's hunting again tonight. At the worst, he'll escalate his violence…" Dave added.

Aaron nodded. "Will you have Crowley gather his officers to hear the profile?" he asked Reid. "I'll have Ryan and Morgan deliver the profile to the field."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

They all reassembled later that evening after Morgan and Scarlett had spent the day interviewing local swinger clubs and meeting houses.

"I'm surprised at how open the hostesses were…" Scarlett was saying to the rest of the group as they discussed some new information.

"It's promising," Hotch agreed. "We wouldn't have known that there was a spouse or partner involved if they hadn't."

"It could be that the partner left the unsub after he became impotent. That could be the stressor that caused him to snap," Morgan shared. "He's taking out his anger against anyone who was ever a partner in the swing scene…"

The door to the meeting room opened and detective Crowley entered.

"We have reports of a shooting at a home on DelMar Street, a shooter opened fire on a house party…"

The team moved in unison to head to the scene.

Once at the home, they each spread out to interview the witnesses. Spencer caught up with Scarlett after she finished speaking to one of the women.

"He only threatened the women…" he told her, voicing his observations. "He shot only the men… and look at this," he drug her over to the one door to what the hostess had called a playroom. "This door had been locked by the woman inside, but the unsub took the time to pick it open rather than shoot or break it down," he told her.

Scarlett looked the lock over more closely. "This doesn't make sense. Why waste time to pick it? This isn't an easy lock either…" she observed.

"Right. So he has some expertise with locks… and a gym or health club would also have a locksmith on their payroll, for re-keying lockers and the like," he stated as he put a call into Garcia.

She nodded in agreement. "The last woman I interviewed said his name is James… that will help narrow the list. I'll go fill in the others," she told him as he explained the new parameters to Penelope. She took his free hand as she passed by and pressed three fingers into his palm. Spencer grasped her hand and quickly returned their gesture of affection.

After explaining everything to Garcia, Reid joined the others in the living room where they were still speaking to the distraught hostess. He noticed that Scarlett was trying to walk her slowly back to when the unsub entered, trying to have her remember more than just his name.

"He only ever was known as James," the woman said shakily. "He and his partner stopped showing up about a year ago, but I don't know anything else," she cried.

Scarlett held the woman's hands lightly and was running her thumbs across her wrists at the pulse line. "Okay, it's okay, you are doing great," she said quietly. "You said his partner. You remember his name, so you know her name too…" she said helping the woman push through the trauma.

The woman's eyes opened and she looked at Scarlett. "Maryanne. Her name was Maryanne…" she said.

Scarlett smiled at her and looked over to Morgan who was already on the phone to Garcia once more to add to the description.

Hotch looked around the scene one last time. Scowling he addressed the team. "He's unraveling fast," he said after the detectives led the hostess out of the room. "We have to get ahead of this guy before he hits again…"

Spencer looked over to Scarlett. "I have a theory," he stated. "What would be the one thing that could make a man, especially an Alpha male exhibit such rage?"

"Loss of control? But we already determined that the impotence was the stressor for him," Morgan stated.

"Maybe, but like you said before- what if it was more than that?" Reid questioned. "What if that loss was compounded by the loss of his mate? He obviously had control in the relationship, choosing her sexual partners- he could have found out she cheated or she left him, and that's why he not only is targeting only the males, but why the excessive rage…"

Morgan agreed. "Not many things that can make a man that crazy," he shrugged. "But if he feels that he lost everything that had once been important…"

"Then he is mission oriented and is probably already looking at his end game," Hotch stated.

"Suicide by cop…" Scarlett said, putting the final pieces together. "He's going to go out in a blaze of glory, taking as many people as he can with him."

"And this was just a warm up," Rossi added.

Scarlett looked around at the carnage surrounding them. "Christ…" she muttered. "Why didn't he attack Maryanne then, instead of everyone else? If she left, why not punish her?"

Reid looked at Scarlett. "He loves her…" he said simply.

"Let's reconvene at the station," Hotch stated. "We have to get ahead of this guy…" he repeated, also taking in the scene one more.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Garcia met them as they entered the station house.

"Sir…" she addressed Hotch, "I was able to find one person who fits the parameters who also is contracted out for a locksmith…" she took a breath and handed him a piece of paper. "I contacted his work and verified he had jobs at each of the corresponding gyms that the victims' were members of… and his wife's name is Maryanne…"

"This is his address?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, and sir, he never showed up for work tonight…" Penelope said in a rush.

Rossi looked at Hotch. "Get everyone together for a raid…" he told Dave. To Garcia he added, "You have to tell me before contacting an employer… but great job, Garcia," he nodded as he moved with the others to inform the local police.

Scarlett was strapping into her flak jacket as Reid came into the room. She saw he was already suited up and felt a shiver of fear run up her spine. Knowing that they were putting their lives in danger was part of the job, but seeing him gearing up created a different level of fear for her. She bit down on her bottom lip to try to stave off the panic attack.

Spencer saw her quick look and noticed the change in her body language. He moved over to her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing," she lied and tried to smile. She ducked her head slightly at the look he gave her at her answer and sighed.

"Scarlett…"

She looked around quickly as she watched him move to shut the office door. When he turned back to her, he could see the fear in her eyes.

"Spence, I can't do this right now, okay- I can't look at you in body armor and think straight… I can't talk or think and I can't panic…" she told him, her voice wobbling a bit.

Reid nodded and moved to her again, this time catching her hand in his. He laced his fingers through hers and tugged her closer.

"Do you think it's any easier for me? To see you getting ready to go into harm's way?" he asked gently. He readjusted the strap along her shoulder and brushed some of her hair back. As his hand skimmed past her face, she caught it between her jaw and shoulder and dropped a kiss to his wrist.

"No…" she breathed out in a sigh. When he stepped closer, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

Spencer hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss into her hair, quickly breathing in her scent. "I love you, SSA Ryan," he said with a slight smile.

Scarlett shook her head and chuckled. "And I love you Dr. Reid…. I just wish you worked in a nice safe office somewhere…" she said softly.

"Ditto…" he told her, looking around quickly before kissing her gently. He didn't release her hand as they followed the others to the waiting vehicles. Scarlett held on tightly.

Once on scene, Hotch gave orders for the team to split up along with the locals.

"Morgan, you and Scarlett will cover the front… Rossi, Reid and I will get the back…"

Scarlett felt her blood pound as she followed her brother and three swat members into the front of the building. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder as she watched the others head around behind the building. She took a deep breath and listened at her earpiece carefully for Reid's voice.

Morgan watched the concern and fear filter through her eyes before she steeled herself into her game face.

"Ready?" he asked, positioning himself at the doors. Scarlett nodded and readied her weapon.

They took the front and cleared the stairwell, as the riot team broke through the front apartment door. She heard various voices shouting "clear!" as she covered the front main room and looked into the adjoining kitchen.

"Freeze! Hands in the air!" she yelled in an authoritative voice, brooking no argument from the person standing before her. The woman dropped a pot, causing a loud noise that had Morgan at Scarlett's side in a heartbeat.

"Don't move," his order followed hers quickly.

"I-I'm not, I'm not moving!" the woman called out, her back still to them. Scarlett saw Hotch and the others following through the living space as they finished their sweep of the back.

"The unsub isn't here," Hotch said, addressing Morgan and Scarlett. "The parameter is clear..."

"Who are you looking for?" the woman behind the counter asked, hands still in the air. She ducked her head a bit not meeting anyone's eyes directly. "Why are you here?" she asked,cowering a bit and then stood straighter exposing her hugely pregnant abdomen.

Scarlett turned back and caught Reid's eyes. "I think we found that secondary stressor..." she said with a sigh as she holstered her weapon.

"Are you Maryanne?" Scarlett asked in a calming voice as she approached the woman. When the woman only nodded and stepped back, Scarlett tried again.

"We are looking for your husband, James. Has he been home tonight?" she asked approaching slowly.

"No... you've got something wrong, James's at work... you have something wrong," Maryanne repeated, her eyes watching Scarlett nervously.

"He hasn't shown up for work, Maryanne," Scarlett stated. "He hasn't gone to work in the past few days..." she stepped forward again and Maryanne backed up against the wall, her eyes darting between Scarlett's and the others before settling on Reid.

"Ryan," Hotch called Scarlett back to where they were standing. She kept her eyes on Maryanne but moved to join the others.

"She knows something," she stated quietly.

"I know, but she's frightened and defensive. We aren't going to get any information from her this way," Hotch told her.

"That can't be the unsub's baby," Scarlett added throwing another look over to Maryanne.

"No, but we don't know what she believes," Morgan added.

"So let's push her," Scarlett stated.

"I think I should talk to her," Reid interrupted. Scarlett looked at him askance. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm the only non-Alpha in the room," he stated simply. "She'll identify more to me than anyone else here..."

"You don't think she'd identify with another woman?" Scarlett asked, not following his line of thought.

Spencer smiled slightly at her. "You were the first person she saw with a weapon trained on her, Katy. You led the swat team in here; she certainly would identify you as an Alpha, not as a woman..."

He watched as Scarlett considered that a moment and scowled. Rossi watched the by-play between the two younger agents and agreed with Spencer's conclusion.

"Reid, see if she'll open up to you. We need to know her husband's whereabouts," Dave stated. "As quickly as possible..."

Spencer nodded and spoke to one of the local officers. "I need the files from the first crime scenes, can you have them sent over here immediately?"

To the others he said, "If I'm right, one of his first victims will be the father of her child..."

Scarlett sighed and walked out of the apartment and Reid moved to try to establish a repertoire with Maryanne. She stopped momentarily to watch the woman approach Reid instead of backing away as she had with her. She shook her head and stepped into the hallway. Morgan followed.

"You okay, sis?" he asked as she leaned against the wall across from the open doorway.

Scarlett looked past him to where Reid was now sitting a the kitchen table with the woman. She shook her head in disbelief as the ease in which he'd gained her trust.

"I'm fine, D. I just don't understand," she admitted.

"What?" he asked checking her line of sight. "You know he's just about the best there is with talking to people..."

Scarlett smiled. "No, I know that... hell, he's gotten me to talk more than anyone else ever has..." she shook her head. "I don't understand why he could approach her but she'd see me as a threat..."

Derek grinned. "You can't put yourself in her place, baby girl. Just like at the crime scene... you couldn't imagine that woman giving herself up as a valid option. You aren't wired that way..."

Scarlett's frown deepened. "But Spence could?"

Morgan sighed. "Katy- Reid's first response would be protect or flee. Yours would be fight. You are an alpha sweetheart, I hate to be the one to break that news to you..." he watched as she bristled at that description.

"Scarlett, if that woman right there," he put a hand on her shoulder and pointed through the doorway to where Maryanne was sitting, "pulled out a weapon and aimed it at Reid, what would happen?" he asked her.

"I'd drop her in point oh five milliseconds," Scarlett growled. "She wouldn't have a chance to fire..."

Morgan laughed. "That's my girl..." he changed the scenario. "But what do you think Reid would do?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Okay, I get your point..." she looked at Derek. "He'd try to talk her down, get her to give up the weapon..." she answered. "But my way is quicker," she ground out darkly.

"But not always the most useful. It's okay, doll. We all have our strengths. This time we need to rely on Reid's..."

She nodded in agreement and they reentered the apartment, following the officer who had brought over the case files.

Scarlett watched as Spencer began to pull out pictures, showing each to Maryanne for a reaction. After the first few, she could see the woman begin to close up towards him.

"I don't know why you are doing this!" Maryanne said to Spencer.

"If I am right, Maryanne, one of the first victims your husband murdered would have been your baby's father," Reid stated softly. "He could never let something like that go..."

"This is my husband's baby!" she stated hotly. "Why won't you get that through your head?!" she shouted angrily, pushing at the pictures before her.

Spencer quietly laid another down on top and saw the change in her face immediately.

"Oh, my God... oh God no..." Maryanne said as she began to crumple in the chair. She picked up the picture and began to weep.

Scarlett watched as Spencer moved closer and spoke softly to her, getting as much information as he could as to where her husband could be hiding or targeting.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Reid paced the floor of the apartment listening to the radio transmissions from the officer beside him. Whenever he heard Scarlett's voice, he'd pause before resuming pacing once again.

Maryanne watched him circle the table for the forth time before reaching a hand out to grasp his arm. Spencer stopped and looked down at her.

"Is she your wife?" she asked hesitantly.

Reid shook his head. "Who?" he asked, trying for a casual look.

Maryanne offered a gentle smile and pushed the chair out beside her, indicating he should sit.

"The little red-head who is now out hunting my husband," she stated a bit coldly.

Spencer's fingers turned white where he gripped the back of the chair tightly. "She isn't hunting him..." he retorted. "She is out putting herself in the line of fire of a psychopath trying to prevent a bloodbath."

He realized how personal that sounded and looked around at the other officers in the room. Nobody seemed to have noticed his outburst, and he sat down in the chair in a vain attempt to appear nonchalant.

"My team is in danger, until your husband is caught..." he offered quietly, trying amend his statement. "He wants to take out as many innocent people as possible before allowing himself to be caught," he told her, purposely leaving out the part of the profile that figured this to end as a suicide by cop. "My team is out there trying to stop any more of this," he said waving a hand towards the pictures across the table. "Especially since you are telling us he most likely is at a very populated night club..." he watched her face closely for some affirmation that she believed the unsub was capable of ending this situation quietly. He sighed when she only closed her eyes and wept.

After several minutes, Maryanne wiped at her eyes. "So here we both just sit, waiting to hear who comes out of this alive," she said, watching him. "Can he? If he opens fire on yours, can he still come out of there alive?" she asked. "Or are you only hoping to hear the voice that speaks to your heart?" She looked around the room at the other officers who'd also been ordered to stay at the apartment. "My heart is telling me I will never hear mine's voice again..."

Reid started to speak, thinking to say something reassuring to the woman beside him as the radio keyed up once more. Any thoughts in his head stopped as he heard the transmission.

"_Confirmed the subject is in the building. Feds are leading one of their own in as a decoy, hoping to lead him out without any collateral damage..."_

Spencer felt his legs go weak. He knew the decoy was going to be Scarlett. His heart raced as the radio became silent. Maryanne reached over and squeezed his hand.

"Now we wait..." she breathed out softly.

Scarlett was removing her body armor and unfastening her braid. She took off her jacket and blouse, wearing just her lace cami, in hopes she looked like she was out for a night of clubbing.

"You guys better have my back..." she said sarcastically as she applied some makeup and shoved her secondary weapon into a clutch bag she'd found.

"You know we will Katy..." Morgan stated with a hint of nerves in his voice.

She stopped and looked at him. "I know you do Derek... that was supposed to be a lame joke, big brother..."

"If he doesn't seem to fall for the ruse, I want you to fall back immediately," Hotch stated. "If you see a weapon, signal us and we'll move in..." He and Morgan both also removed their flak jackets with the intention of following her inside and remaining unnoticed.

"We aren't going to have audio but we will have a visual on you at all times," he added.

"Right, I know," she looked over at Morgan once again. "I'll create a diversion, spill my drink, something like that if I sight the weapon. But if he pulls it..."

Hotch nodded. "If there isn't time to warn anyone, take him down. We want to keep the civilians as safe as possible."

Scarlett nodded. She would do whatever necessary to keep him from harming any bystanders. Hotch and Morgan left her to finish getting ready and speak to the other officers who were now at the front doors. She took a moment to settle herself and followed where the others had entered.

Once inside the club, she moved up alongside the perp with a genuine smile, as if she'd just found a long lost friend.

"Hi, James! It's been a long time... how have you been?" she asked, playing up as if she remembered him from a swinger's get together. She carried on a conversation, being sure to bring up Maryanne's name to pique his interest.

The ruse seemed to be working, or at least she'd believed until he stood closer to her and showed a semi-automatic weapon on his hip.

The unsub offered her an insight into where her story went awry.

"I only chose husbands for Maryanne. So I don't know your _boyfriend_, and I don't know you..." he said with an evil grin as he cleared the weapon from his jacket aiming towards her and the crowd behind her.

Rossi was just returning to the apartment space where Reid and Maryanne were waiting when he heard the radio's on the local officers began to all transmit at once.

"Shot's fired, shot's fired inside the club... get the scene secured- move those people out... We have a man down... we need Medics!"

Rossi watched as Reid's face turned white and he leaned against the table.

"Let's go," he told Spencer.

Reid didn't hesitate before following Rossi out to the SUV. He tried to fight down the panic rising as they drove to the scene, listening to the radio chatter in hopes of hearing anything on their own. They heard the transmission that the perimeter had been secured, but nothing from the voices they were so desperately hoping to hear.

Rossi hadn't even put the vehicle into park before Reid had opened the door and was running through the police line flashing his badge as he went. As he passed a news crew, one of the reporters noticed his shout to the detective on scene and indicated to her camera man to follow him.

The detective who stood before Reid stopped him quickly.

Reid showed his credentials, looking back quickly to where Rossi was following. "We are FBI," he told the detective. "Where is our team?"

The detective stepped back. "They are here, check over by the medics," he stated stepping back. Reid felt his heart lurch as he started moving forward again.

Scarlett was leaning back against a car, talking to one of the officers when she saw Spencer sprint past heading towards the EMS station.

"Reid!" she called out loudly, trying to be heard over the noise around her. She saw him stop and turn slightly.

"Reid!" she called out once more and stepped forward towards him.

Spencer saw her move through a few uniformed officers, wrapped in a blanket and felt his legs go weak. He took a breath, reassuring himself that it was her, and that she was walking towards him on her own volition. He felt his adrenaline kick in and ran towards her, grabbing her up into his arms.

"Scarlett..." he held on to her tightly, pulling her right off her feet, swinging her up against his chest.

"I'm okay baby," she told him quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck to whisper in his ear. "I'm fine sweetie."

"The radio didn't say who was shot..." he tried to explain as he still held on to her. "I didn't know what happened, just that you were going in as a decoy..." his breathing hitched and he tried to hold back the sob that cut his voice. "I didn't know..."

His arms held her tighter, the fear he'd felt manifesting itself in a need to feel her close. Without thinking, he reached a hand to the back of her neck, threaded his fingers through her hair and used his lips to express the desperation he'd felt.

"Spence," Scarlett felt him shaking and tried to move back a little. "Come on, sweetheart, let me go a little... we have voyeurs darling," she tried to reason with him as she felt his lips on hers again. She sighed and let him give in to his need. His lips covered hers as his tongue tasted her unique flavor, reassuring himself with her warmth and scent.

She felt him allow her to slide to her feet as her words must have sunk in to his muddled brain. She moved her arms to his waist, still hugging him close. She felt him shudder involuntarily as he lowered his face to press into her hair.

"What happened?" he asked quietly once he was able to speak again.

"The ruse didn't work for long. I blew my cover," she said angry with herself. "He pulled out a semi-auto and pointed into the crowd..." she trembled a bit at the memory but for his sake she did not mention she was between the weapon and that crowd. "I had my secondary inside a purse, so I aimed as best I could in the conditions and took him down..." Scarlett lay her head against his chest listening to his steady heartbeat. "I couldn't let him open fire on the crowd..." she stated firmly, as if reassuring herself she made the right choice.

"Of course you couldn't," Spencer looked down into her eyes. "You did what you had to do..."

"I killed him... I wanted to disarm him, but I killed him. I couldn't get the correct angle, my aim was off..." she stammered.

"Hey, Scarlett, come on- you knew it would end this way... we profiled he'd go out through suicide, it not your fault..." Spencer reached his hand under her chin, making her look up into his eyes. "If you hadn't taken him out, he'd have killed you and as many by standers as possible before someone else would have had to do it. You made the right call."

Scarlett nodded and breathed in deeply, watching his eyes. "I feel sorry for Maryanne. He told me to tell her he loved her... his last words were to her..."

Reid leaned forward again, caught up in the hurt in her green eyes. He kissed her lightly at first, just feathering a kiss to her lips. When she sighed, he took it deeper, still needing to feel and taste her himself to calm his own distraught senses.

"I'm so sorry you were scared Spence," she whispered against his lips. "I didn't have any com-link in, I had no idea they said anything over the air that would make you think we weren't safe, or else I would have contacted you..."

"All they said was that there were shots fired and that they needed medics- they said there was a man down, but that could have meant an officer- I just didn't know... I panicked," he admitted. "I don't like being left behind," he told her. "Waiting, not knowing...its too much. My imagination gets the better of me..." he sighed and kissed her again.

She shifted under the blanket, and Spencer noticed she was only wearing her thin lace chemise. He pulled back the blanket and saw that she was covered in blood that soaked over most of her skin. She saw his look of concern and pulled the cover closed again.

"I held him..." she explained softly. "I held him while he died, because I killed him..."

Spencer shook his head. "Scarlett... You. Had. No. Choice." he said once again, firmly. The distant look in her eyes was scaring him. He shook her slightly and she looked back up at him. "Let's find the others and see if we are clear to leave..." he told her, pulling her towards the direction that the last officer had given him to find the team. The only thought in his mind was to get her away from here as fast as possible, and to be able to take care of her.

Scarlett followed behind Spencer, trailing as he tugged her along by her hand. They found the others over by the EMS unit, speaking to some witnesses and Detective Crowley. The detective moved over to Scarlett.

"Agent Ryan," he said as he reached for her hand. "Agents Morgan and Hotchner have told me that you were instrumental in removing the threat inside the club. I want to personally thank you. We talked to the club owner- there was close to four hundred people inside the building tonight. You managed to end it with one shot and not one innocent was harmed. Even our swat team was amazed. With the weapon he had, he would've caused major loss of life just with a finger pull to trigger." Crowley stepped back and nodded to Reid. "They found extra rounds on him and a grenade..." he told them. "So this was a major win in my book..." he shook his head and looked around at the people milling around the parking lot at various stages of being interviewed or released.

"Not one injury," he said again. "Not even a panic or stampede for the door, because you were quick enough to id yourself as an agent and only used one shot..." he looked at her with a grin. "From inside your purse," he chuckled. "That's going down in the books..."

He shook her hand once more and patted her shoulder. "You are one hell of an asset to the FBI, Agent. If you ever decide to return to the local sectors, you call me first," he smiled. He shook hands with the rest of the team, thanking them all for their service.

Scarlett closed her eyes and tried to pull up an image of something other than blood. She looked around at the civilians. One couple hung onto each other still seemingly in shock. She watched as a car pulled up and two younger women ran into the arms of what she assumed were their parents... and Scarlett hugged herself tightly.

Spencer watched the interactions she was viewing and saw the change in her eyes. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back against his chest. Lowering his lips to her ear he whispered, "See... you made the right decision, darling."

He felt her nod as she turned slightly to look at his face. She quickly kissed his lips and offered him a slight smile. "Have I ever told you how much I adore you, Dr. Reid?" she asked him softly.

"I don't recall you using those exact words..." he said with a smile. He kissed her again quickly and hugged her close. "Let's see if we can get the hell out of here," he told her, going over to talk to Hotch.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Scarlett stood under the steam of the shower as Spencer scrubbed the blood from her skin. She kept her eyes closed, not watching the red run in a river down the drain. Instead she envisioned the scene of those young girls running into their family's arms. She sighed as she felt the tension drain away as the scrubbing stopped and Reid began to massage her shoulders. She opened her eyes long enough to see the water running clear and turned to allow the spray to rinse over her head.

Spencer watched as she tipped her head back and the hot water ran down her face and hair. He reached over and pushed the lengths from off her face, back over her shoulders. Stepping forward, he cupped her face into his hands and kissed her, tracing his thumbs across her jawline. When she sighed and leaned into him, his body responded and he backed her against the wall, his body blocking the water from hers.

Scarlett reached over and grabbed the soap and lathered him up while he was now under the jets. He laughed as she took a handful of bubbles and blew them at him.

He reached over to the faucets and closed the drain, allowing the tub to fill with warm water and bubbles, and dragged her down into the water, so they were sitting face to face. After the tub filled, he shut the water off and pulled her legs across his until they were only inches away from each other. He dabbed a bit of suds to her nose and smiled.

"What is running though your mind, beautiful?" he asked her softly.

Scarlett returned his smile and leaned forward to kiss him. "I'm thinking I underestimated how much I'd like taking a bath with you," she teased, reaching forward to run a hand down his chest.

Spencer pulled her closer yet so she was straddling his lap. Water sloshed over the side of the tub and onto the floor and she giggled.

"You're making a mess, farm boy..."

"I don't care," he said huskily as he slid inside her.

"Mmm," she smiled slightly. "You'll care when maintenance knocks on the door to see if a pipe broke," she teased, rocking slightly on his lap and spilling more water over the edge.

"Right... good point," he said as he stretched a long arm up and pulled down a towel to throw on the floor. Then he toed the drain open to release some of the excess water. "Better?" he asked.

Scarlett shifted again and this time most of the water stayed inside the tub. "Better," she agreed with a laugh as he groaned and pressed his face against her chest, nuzzling her slick skin.

"Spence..." she breathed his name softly as he kissed along the valley between her breasts, lightly running his tongue across her taut nipples.

"What?" he asked looking up at her face as she leaned above him.

She held her face between her hands, pressing her lips to his softly. "Thank you..." she said quietly.

He moaned as she slid back down onto him, rocking back and forth creating an erotic sensation that made his body tighten in response. He licked his lips, forcing himself to concentrate on her words, attempting to follow in the conversation.

"Ah... for what, Katy?" he asked, his breathing now starting to turn heavy.

"For taking care of me, sweetie," she kissed his cheek and breathed into his ear, watching as the sensation caused him to shiver. She slowly continued to move against him, bringing him closer to the brink. "For giving me this memory to hold on to for today," she said softly, placing light kisses to his collarbone and running her tongue over his throat. She slid ever so slowly along his length and she felt his body tighten under her.

"Oh, my god Scarlett," he breathed heavily, curling up against her and pulling her hips down against him. She ground down and tightened her own muscles against him. When he raised his face to meet her eyes, she moved over him again, reaching down to cover his mouth with her own.

"Thank you for loving me, my handsome man..." she told him as she left go of her carefully checked control and allowed herself to follow him over the edge.

Spencer panted heavily against her skin as she slid backwards a bit to adjust her legs. She sloshed the water once again as she turned around to lean her back against him and relax. He reached forward and turned on the hot water, refilling the now tepid bath.

"Mmm, I could fall asleep like this," she said snuggling into his embrace.

He stroked her arms lightly, feeling the tension from the day fade away. He kissed her temple and watched her face as her eyes drifted closed.

"I will always love you Katy Scarlett..." he told her quietly. He let himself forget the fears from earlier as he watched his heart resting against his chest for a little while. When she turned her eyes up to meet his, he kissed her again.

"My sweet love," she said, moving to stand up out of the tub.

He followed, grabbing a bath sheet from the pile of towels and wrapping her up in a cocoon of white. Dropping a brief kiss to her nose, he rubbed another through her hair, drying the long tresses.

"You are spoiling me, Dr. Reid," she told him, peeking out from under the towel at him.

"Mmm..." he studied her face momentarily. "It's my prerogative," he told her as he scooped her up and carried her into the adjoining bedroom.

Scarlett snatched up another towel on the way through and covered his wet head. "You always walk around dripping wet, farm boy..." she teased.

Spencer set her down on the bed and rubbed the towel over his own hair. He shook like a dog sending drops of water everywhere and Scarlett squealed and laughed. He smiled and knotted the towel around his waist and lay down in the bed alongside her. When she curled up against him, he sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Her eyes were drifting closed as he watched her and her lips curved in a small smile.

"Are you going to watch me sleep all night Spence?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah," he answered honestly. "I think I might..." The earlier fear of losing her was beginning to gnaw at the back of his mind. Scarlett felt that glimmer there and cuddled closer to him.

Her smile deepened to reveal her dimples. She placed her hand on his neck and pulled him down beside her, so his face was next to hers. She opened her eyes slightly to look into his.

"Sleep my love," she told him, closing them again. "I'm right here, and I'll be right here when you wake up..."

Spencer touched her nose with his and smiled at her throaty chuckle. "I miss you when I close my eyes..." he said quietly staying close enough that their breaths mingled.

Scarlett's eyes opened, over-bright with tears. "Aw, sweetheart... what did I ever do to deserve you, my beautiful wonderful man?" she asked.

He brushed a thumb under her eye, wiping away an escaped tear. "You breathed," he said quietly, "and it filled my soul..."

Scarlett's breath hitched as she pulled him closer, holding him as she fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

A quick thank you to all my readers... Sorry for the delay in posting new chapters- I had a bit of a computer problem. I hope you understand! PS. More on the way as I am starting the third of this series, to be called "Keeping Scarlett". Many more chapters yet to upload in "Knowing Scarlett" also, please be patient! :-)

Please continue to leave reviews and feedback! I do listen! Love to all! ~Becky

Chapter 21

Scarlett heard her phone ringing somewhere inside her dream. She wasn't even certain that it was truly ringing or if it was a figment of her subconscious until she heard Reid speaking to someone on the other end.

"She's still sleeping, Garcia," she heard him say quietly. Scarlett thought to respond that she was awake but was so exhausted she waited instead to determine if the conversation warranted her waking up...

"How important could it possibly be, Penelope... the news only rehashes what we already know..."

Scarlett opened her eyes now and saw Spencer's brows furrow. "Sorry..." he mouthed to her. She just stretched and moved closer to his warmth.

"It's fine, pretty boy... put Pens on speaker so I can yell at her for calling me at five o'fuck in the morning," she mumbled into his chest.

Spencer laughed at her choice of words. "She's up and crabby now, Garcia- I'm putting you on speaker."

Penelope started talking before the speaker connected. "I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't something important... seriously guys, I mean this has gone viral and the news is going to air at six am so as acting liaison I need to know what kind of statement to make here..." she ran her words together without a breath in between.

Scarlett shook her head. "Penny, what are you talking about, what's gone viral?"

"Oh cheese and crackers Scarlett, the news feed from the club last night... they blogged it and its gone viral, everybody and anybody is retweeting and posting it..."

Scarlett sighed. "Posting what, Pens. Please, explain- I haven't had coffee yet nor have I turned on any social media... Just tell me what's going on..."

Garcia huffed out a breath. "It'll be easier to show you... I'm coming over so get decent..." she told them and disconnected the call.

Spencer pulled on a pair of sweatpants and moved over to open the door just as Penelope's knock sounded. Scarlett dragged one of his t-shirts over her head as Penelope stormed in.

Garcia completely ignored their various states of undress as Spencer dug through his bag for a shirt. She set her laptop down on the table and waited impatiently for them to join her.

Scarlett walked over to the table, looking at the screen. "This better be good, Pens. I'm not caffeinated yet," she warned her as she yawned hugely.

Spencer exited the bathroom to come stand behind Scarlett and wrapped an arm across her shoulders.

"Honey, my phone has been ringing off the hook since this went up overnight. I waited as long as I could to wake you... but now every news crew in fifty miles wants an interview and I have to find out what to say..."

Reid pulled Scarlett back against his chest and looked over to Penelope. "Garcia, maybe you should start from the beginning. We still have no idea what you are talking about..." he said gently, trying to push her back into the right direction.

"Right- right... okay, then watch;" she said clicking some links in her computer. "This is what you missed. This is what's gone viral...

The computer cued up to a news crew reporting from the club last night. A woman reporter was centered, setting up the story.

"Good evening, this is Debbie Dunn reporting live from outside a local club the "Toybox" just outside Akron city limits. We have confirmed that FBI agents had tracked down a serial killer into this location, where one of their own agents single-handedly took down the would be assassin. We have eye witness reports stating that this agent, whom some are dubbing "super woman" approached the person of interest, and when he pulled out an automatic weapon into the crowd of over four hundred, she fired one shot that disarmed the criminal and led to no injuries or loss of innocent life. We are following the police outside the club at this time, trying to catch a glimpse of this so called super woman, but the police are keeping tight ranks at this point..."

The camera panned the area, focusing briefly on Hotch and Morgan who were talking to some local detectives. Suddenly the camera cut to the side and Reid's voice could be heard identifying himself as FBI. The reporter could be heard telling the camera man to follow him.

Scarlett heard Reid swallow hard behind her as he was watching the footage. "Uh-oh," she said softly, having an idea of what was coming up next.

The video played on as it followed Spencer stop at the sound of Scarlett's call. When the camera zoomed in on him picking her up and kissing her, the reporter was heard in the background saying, 'Are you getting this?'

Reid watched the video continue, as Scarlett's image pulled back from him and he saw himself yank her by the back of her hair into his kiss. Her feet weren't even on the ground and by the looks of the images, he was manhandling her. On a scene. In clear full FBI gear. He groaned loudly and moved to go sit in one of the hotel chairs.

"Christ," Reid rubbed at his eyes. "I am in so much fucking trouble..."

Scarlett looked between him and Penny. "Why? There are no rules in the books saying that interoffice personnel are not allowed to date. I checked all the protocol. There isn't anything wrong about us being a couple..."

Spencer looked up at her. "Scarlett, protocol or not, it just looks bad for the team. Unprofessional. You know that... besides, Jesus, that wasn't some simple show of affection- I mauled you on a crime scene..."

Scarlett scowled. "Extenuating circumstances, pretty boy. It'll be fine... I'll handle it."

Penny held up a hand. "There's a bit more, if you want to watch?" she asked.

Spencer rolled his eyes and hid his face behind a pillow.

Scarlett smiled and shook her head. "Play it Penny. I want to know what they think they saw..."

The reporter was back in the scene as the camera angled to keep Scarlett and Spencer in the shot.

"It seems that we've located the woman of the hour... I will try to continue to get an interview with her, but it seems she's tied up a bit for the moment." the woman offered a quirky yet friendly smile. "I'd think it would be safe to say she's a hero to more than just one person tonight. Even her fellow agents are enamored by her."

Reid groaned loudly through the pillow.

Watching the video, Scarlett saw them get to the scene where Spencer noticed the blood on her clothes. The camera man focused his lens in closely to get a shot of how badly she was covered in gore. She shivered slightly at the memory of feeling that covering her.

"Ugh. I hope that they edit that from going over the air..." Garcia made a face and turned her head.

Spencer peeked out to see what they were talking about. The camera clearly showed the two of them, staring into each other's eyes as if there wasn't another person in the area. He watched himself tuck Scarlett back into the blankets and drag her by the hand to where they met up with the others.

He furrowed his brows and looked at Scarlett. "Why didn't you ever tell me that I have a tendency to drag you around?" he stated a bit mulishly.

Scarlett laughed. "Because I like it when you do, farm boy. And usually you have a good reason. Like then- I was in a bit of shock and you wanted to get me out of there. Why would I mind you wanting to take care of me?" she moved over to where he was sitting and leaned forward to kiss his forehead.

"Relax, Spence. This will blow over and be fine..."

"Easy for you to say 'super woman'," Penelope quipped. "I have to talk to these reporters this morning and I don't know what to say- and I know they are going to want an interview with you..."

Scarlett sighed. "I guess we better talk to Hotch and see how we can play this out..." she stated.

"I'm going to hide," Spencer stated. "For about a month..."

Scarlett looked down at his reddened face and ears. "Poor baby," she said and lifted his chin to kiss his lips. His blush deepened as he looked quickly over to where Garcia stood smiling. Scarlett laughed and pushed him back and sat on his lap.

"Spencer..." she looked into his face as he turned to look at her. She stroked a finger down across his cheek. "I love you, my sweet shy boy..." she smiled gently.

Reid cleared his throat. He resolved to ignore Penelope's presence and rubbed his cheek to Scarlett's. "I love you more, crazy girl..." and smiled back at her.

"Aww. You two are just the cutest couple..." Penelope smiled. She lifted her phone and pointed it at them. "Say cheesy fries!" she laughed as she snapped the shot of them. Scarlett stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes.

"Cute, very cute," Penny laughed. "Maybe I'll show that to the reporters..." she teased.

Scarlett threw a dirty look at her and so Penelope snapped another picture.

"Okay, stop with the camera now, Pen. I'm only in a t-shirt here," she said and stood up off Reid's lap. As she crossed the room to the bathroom, Spencer noticed that he could see right through his white tee. He heard the click of the camera again and turned to catch Garcia snapping his picture. She grinned and crossed over to him, handing him the phone to see the photo.

"See, _that's_ the 'look' I told you that you have when you look at our little girl..." she teased.

Spencer took the phone with a scowl and looked at the picture. Penelope had shot the image as he was admiring Scarlett's curves. His face had a slight dreamy look to it and he had a small grin on his lips. He scrolled to the other two pictures and smiled at Scarlett's goofy face then looked at himself. His head was turned slightly grinning at her. The next picture showed her in a scowl as he had his face nuzzled into her hair. He expanded the images to check if he could see as clearly through the t-shirt in the pictures as he could while she was walking away. He heard Penelope's giggle.

"Don't worry Reid," she teased. "Your arms were strategically placed, I made certain of it..." she ruffled his hair as she reached for her phone back. "I kept it PG, my neurotic friend," she joked.

"I'm not neurotic," he groused. "I just don't want half naked pictures of my girl floating around..." he scowled.

Garcia smiled. "That sounds so nice..." she said looking down at him.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Hearing you say 'my girl'... it has a nice ring to it, sweetie. I'm so happy that you two are happy," she said simply.

Spencer ducked his head slightly and blushed. "Yeah... thanks," he said nervously rubbing at his neck. "But I don't know how the Bureau is going to feel about that..." he said indicating the laptop images with a wave of his hand.

Penelope shook her head and smiled again. "Don't you worry, doll face- If Scarlett says she can handle it, you can consider it handled..."

Scarlett came back out of the bathroom dressed in her jeans and a Killers t-shirt. "And I will," she told them both. "But first we have to talk to the others- I've got to get their take on this, especially Hotch. I need to know what direction he wants to go in..."

Spencer sighed and moved into the bathroom to get changed. "Wait for me," he told her, still nervous about the coming reaction of their team leader.

"Spence," Scarlett stopped him halfway. "It will be fine, I promise," she told him softly.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Hotch didn't look happy after viewing the footage that Garcia replayed from the blog. He sat at the small conference table the hotel had lent them. The director had already contacted him earlier, wanting an update on this situation.

When he stood up, he looked over to Spencer. "Reid, I want to talk to you, privately..." he said in his quietly authoritative voice.

Spencer nodded and stood. "Yes, sir," he said, moving to follow Aaron through the door. Scarlett stood quickly, but Morgan grabbed her hand and pulled her back to her seat.

"Down, little one," he told her. "Reid can handle this..."

"But..." she started to complain and Derek silenced her with a look. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, curling her legs up onto the chair.

Rossi laughed at the picture she portrayed. "You don't need to pout 'super woman'," he joked, breaking the tension in the room. "Aaron isn't going to whip him or anything quite so severe..."

"It's not fair that Spence is taking the blame for this alone," she complained. "I was a part of this too..."

Morgan poked her side lightly. "I'm sure you'll get your turn, baby girl..."

Garcia moved to stand behind Scarlett. "Nobody should be getting 'a turn'," she voiced her opinion and mirrored Scarlett's expression. "They didn't do anything wrong!"

Rossi sighed and looked over to Morgan. "I hope this doesn't take long," he said. "I can feel myself wanting to apologize to all the estrogen already..."

Derek laughed and Scarlett threw them both a wicked glare.

In the next room, Aaron had taken a seat at the desk where a micro-recorder was sitting and indicated to Reid to take the other chair.

Spencer sat down and maintained eye contact with his superior. Hotch picked up the recorder and looked at Reid. He pushed a button and a green light lit up on the machine.

"Dr. Reid, the director has been in contact with me and has asked that I speak with both you and Agent Ryan, on the record. Is this acceptable to you?"

Spencer tensed and nodded, forgetting himself. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Yes," he told Hotch and the recorder clearly, officially going on record.

"Dr. Reid, as you already know, your actions on the scene last night were unprofessional, to say the least." He watched his young team member swallow and nod his head and continued.

"As a representative of not only this team, but the FBI and the US government, there is an expectation of certain decorum, especially during an investigation..."

"Yes, sir. I understand..." Reid stated, eyes downcast.

"We never know when there will be video or audio recordings whether by the private sector or from reporters, so maintaining professionalism has to be at the forefront of our minds at all times," he admonished.

"Yes, of course, sir. I apologize..." Reid tried to finish but Hotch interrupted.

"However, I do need to apologize to you," he stated, making Reid stop speaking and look at him in confusion.

"When I authorized SSA Ryan to go into that scene without communications and in addition removed Agent Morgan and myself from transmissions, I failed you, our liaison Penelope Garcia and Agent Rossi, by not allowing you each to monitor the situation. You were left with second hand information that was only coming from outside of the scene, by local police personnel, and that information was, well, spotty at best," he leaned forward on his elbows as Spencer thought about what he was saying.

"At the very least, I should have re-opened the communications and verified that your team members were all clear and the situation had been handled successfully. So I apologize for causing each of you that undue stress." Hotch sat back again and waited for Reid to respond.

Spencer frowned and looked at his hands. When he raised his eyes to meet Hotch's he cleared his throat.

"I appreciate what you are saying, sir, however that doesn't completely discount my actions. I should have been more cognizant of my surroundings for both my own professionalism and for that of Scarl... um, Agent Ryan's. I'm certain that she didn't need or want to be given the undue attention that this has all caused, and I accept the responsibility of my own actions. I would respectfully request, however, that whatever penalization the Bureau deems necessary will be held against me exclusively, and not her, since she had no control over my excessive affection for her in public..." he stated in what he'd hoped was a cool tone. Inside, he felt his nerves shaking.

Hotch quirked an eyebrow at Reid's term and bit back a smile. "That's your official statement, Dr. Reid?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." Spencer answered.

"Then in conclusion, I have to let you know that the director had indicated that she felt it best if you and Agent Ryan were not to work on cases together any longer..."

When Reid's face tightened in anger and he jumped up from his seat to protest, Hotch held up his hand and pointed to the recorder. He watched silently and calmly as Spencer closed his mouth into a thin line, stopping himself from voicing any outburst.

"I, however, explained to her- and I hope I haven't over-stepped my boundaries here between personal and professional with either you or SSA Ryan, that you and Scarlett have been engaged in a relationship of a personal nature for almost six months now, and have worked together on more than fifty cases without any such instances. I reassured her that the both of you have maintained professionalism above reproach and that if it hadn't been for my error during this instance in losing communications with half of my team, this particular issue would never have arisen. I explained that you both are integral to the team and that your functions have not lessened nor will they because of the personal nature of your relationship. I assured her I would speak to both of you, and that this would not happen again, in so far as, in your words, excessive affections being on public display while on a case. She has reconsidered, and you are both to remain on the cases together as long as these conditions are met..." Aaron looked at Spencer's face as he reached for the recorder.

"Is everything I have stated acceptable and understood, Dr. Reid?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Understood and accepted." Reid blew out a breath of relief when Hotch shut off the recorder.

Aaron sat back and grinned at Spencer. "I pulled you in here first because I was concerned if Scarlett heard what the director said initially, she wouldn't have stayed to listen to the rest..."

Reid shook his head. "Probably not... She's got a bit of a temper..." he agreed. "But, Hotch, you didn't have to throw yourself under scrutiny like that because of me..." he stated quietly.

"Reid, I didn't say anything that I didn't feel was the truth. I should have let you all know that everything was clear. Dave was as concerned as you were, as was Garcia. I dropped the ball and it's something that I need to be more aware of in the future. Lesson learned on all accounts," he said and shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess..." Spencer toyed with the watch on his arm.

"Excessive affections, huh?" Hotch teased him.

Spencer grinned and blushed slightly. "I was going to say man-handled or mauled but I thought it was a bit much for a direct report..."

"Probably..." Aaron laughed. Spencer moved his chair forward and sat closer to the desk. Hotch watched as emotions ran across the younger man's face. He settled back to listen, knowing Reid had something on his mind.

"Hotch..." Spencer started quietly, unsure how to say the words that were on his mind. He looked over to his friend and took a breath. "Can I talk to you, frankly, off the record, I mean?" he asked.

"Of course, you know that, Reid..."

"Right..." he sighed and sat back, tapping his foot nervously. "I just, um, I don't know what to do with all of this..." he stated somewhat vaguely. He shifted in the chair and pulled his leg up across his knee, playing with the laces on his Converse.

"Do with all of what, Reid?" he asked gently.

"All these feelings..." he said, looking up quickly to meet Hotch's eyes, then back to his shoes. "I mean, our job isn't safe, and things happen and I get scared... and I don't know how to handle that. I don't know how to compartmentalize the work 'us' versus the 'personal' us. Sometimes I just can't separate the two halves. I know Scarlett says we have to, and she's managed to reign herself and her emotions in, but I can't seem to get a handle on how to do that..."

"Everybody handles things differently Reid. And I don't see Scarlett always successfully managing her emotions, either. She puts up a good front, which is what most of us do, but I don't think any of us are completely successful..."

"Okay, so how do I build up that front?" he asked.

"Practice. Time... Reid, it's not a science. You can't study and learn. And sometimes, things happen that you can't compartmentalize- when that happens, you just have to make sure of your surroundings before you allow your emotions through."

"Like yesterday, with the news crew?" he asked.

"That's an example..."

"What would you have done?" he blurted out.

Hotch sighed. "Reid, what I would have done has no bearing on how you or Scarlett are going to react in any given situation. Your responses and reactions will most likely be different than mine, or anyone else..." he watched as Reid looked away, searching out the window, as if to find some answers there. Hotch sighed.

"If it makes you feel any better, Morgan lost his cool when the shot went off..." Hotch smiled as that brought Reid's attention around.

"What? What happened?" Spencer asked.

"Morgan was across the bar from me, and Scarlett was at the center, engaging the unsub in conversation, hoping to lead him out of the club. We saw him move, and Morgan saw the weapon from his angle. He was moving in when the shot was fired. His emotions had gotten the better of him also, Reid. He doesn't remember her calling out that she was FBI although hundreds of others heard her. He only heard a shot, and saw her drop to the floor, when she moved to try to stop the bleeding." Hotch watched Reid's face carefully as he continued. "He thought she was hit. When he reached her side and saw she was alright, I don't think he let her breathe for how tightly he was holding her..."

Reid tried to picture Morgan scared and couldn't do it. "But the director didn't call him in for a review..." Spencer muttered.

"There weren't any cameras inside the club, Reid. Otherwise, she'd have been questioning their relationship."

Spencer cocked his head to the side. "She's his sister," he stated, wondering what Hotch meant by that comment.

"They aren't considered family by the government, Reid. So my take would have been that had the director seen Derek 'mauling' Scarlett after that scene, she'd have been quite confused about the triangle you three had yourselves in... And I'd have a much larger headache from trying to explain..."

Reid considered his words thoughtfully. "The director doesn't understand that we are all a family on this team, does she?" he asked. "I mean, she can't comprehend that I'd talk to you, like I am now, or that Morgan and Garcia sometimes stay out together all night watching old movies, or that Rossi has a family night where we gather together... she can't understand any of that..." he watched Hotch for confirmation. When he nodded, Spencer continued. "So she doesn't realize how much we have at stake, trying to keep each other safe..."

"No, Reid, she doesn't. To the administration, we are a team, nothing more..."

"Do you think we would function better if we didn't have all these interpersonal relationships?"

Hotch smiled. "No. I don't. I think each of us being tied to each other as a family makes us stronger... it gives us an edge that neither the higher ups nor the criminals can understand. It humanizes us and links us to each other. So I believe it makes us stronger, even when it scares the hell out of us..."

Reid nodded, understanding. "Even if reporters are around..."

Aaron laughed. "Well, watch out in the future for those cameras, Reid. This isn't a conversation I want to repeat with the director..." he looked at his watch. "And speaking of things that scare the hell out of us, can you send Scarlett in... I have to get her statement for the record also..."

Reid laughed. "Scarlett scared? I doubt it, she's probably chomping at the bit to have her say..."

Hotch grinned. "I didn't say _she_ was scared," he said jokingly. "Please tell her that everything has been handled before she comes in, and not to kill the messenger..." he remarked with a feigned look of terror.

Spencer laughed and shook his head. "Families are complicated," he said as he stood, looking over to Hotch. "I'm glad I have this one..."

Aaron stood and walked Reid to the door and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So am I, dysfunction and all..."

Reid grinned and stepped out to head into the conference room and give Scarlett a heads up on what to expect.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Scarlett picked up her head as Reid walked back into the room. She moved to stand as if to check him over but she held herself rooted to her spot. Instead she waited until his eyes met hers and he smiled. Relief washed over her and she then went to his side.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned against him, not even sure what it was she'd been worried about. She just knew her nerves were jangled and she needed to feel him close.

Rossi watched the couple lean into each other as they waited for Reid to offer them some insight into what had transpired.

Scarlett leaned back a bit, looking into his face. "So... what's the story, farm boy?" she asked.

Spencer cleared his throat. "Scarlett- you need to make an official statement with Hotch," when he felt her bristle he quickly took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look up to him. "But it's all okay. The director got involved and said some things that Hotch didn't agree with and he made her see our side of things... so it's okay, crazy girl, don't go in to there with a chip on your shoulder..."

Scarlett huffed a bit and watched him closely. "Everything is all okay?" she asked him again.

"Yes, its fine... just some details that the superiors want covered, but we are good and so is the team, remember that..."

Penelope stood up. "What was the director's version that Hotch didn't agree with?" she demanded to know. "I don't understand... she wasn't there, so how was anything her call?"

Reid scuffed his foot. "Hotch fixed it..."

"How?" Morgan asked.

"Fixed what?" Scarlett growled out. "What was to fix?"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Scarlett- I told you. I behaved inappropriately. There are always consequences to that..."

"Then I did too!" she stated hotly. "I won't let you take the blame on this alone Reid..."

"What was the director's determination?" Rossi asked, trying to remain the calm member in the room.

Reid looked away from Scarlett to Dave. "She had made the determination that it would be better if Scarlett and I would not be on cases together..."

The room suddenly went into an uproar, with everyone shouting at once.

Reid backed up and threw up his hands. "Stop, be quiet!" he told them loudly. The others grew quiet at his outburst.

He looked around and caught Scarlett's eyes. "I said it was alright!" he told her sternly. "Hotch talked to the director and basically threw himself on his sword to cover for me. She reconsidered. It's alright, we aren't splitting up the team..." he took Scarlett by the chin again, holding her in place. "It is _fine_..." he reiterated.

Scarlett tossed her hair back over her shoulder, pulling away from his hand and glared at him. "You better not be lying to me pretty boy, or I will kick your ass..."

Reid sighed and rolled his eyes. He took her by her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. "I will never lie to you crazy girl. I swear. Just go in, listen to what Hotch has to say, don't react..." he warned her quietly, "and say your piece. _Nicely_..." he suggested strongly.

Scarlett straightened up and watched his face closely. "Okay," she breathed out slowly. "Nicely..." she stated as if the word were something foreign on her tongue. She pouted slightly. "I still don't like that it sounds as if you and Hotch are covering for me..." she told him.

"Nobody is covering for you darling, you didn't do anything wrong," he grinned his lopsided grin. "This time it was all me..."

She scowled again. "I was there, Reid. I didn't _not_ kiss you back... as I recall," she told him snarkily.

"Yeah, well, regardless, the director saw it one way, and Hotch showed her another. Go talk to him and get your end of this over so we can be finished..." he looked quickly at the others and bent down and kissed her nose.

She wrinkled her nose slightly and looked up at him. "Is that still allowed as per the director-of-my-personal-life?" she sniped.

"In present company, minus reporters and cameras, yes..." he answered her.

"Fine then..." she said and grabbed his tie, yanking him forward for a real kiss.

"Scarlett..." he warned her lightly.

"Mmm, shut up Reid," she said quietly so she thought only he could hear. "You've got your damn glasses on..." she teased.

"Scarlett..." he blushed a deep shade of red and she giggled.

"Hold that thought, farm boy... I have to go talk to Hotch, and apparently be nice to the director on record..."

"Please..." he asked her.

She grinned and pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "Absolutely, darling... I can be quite charming when I want to be..."

Spencer sighed as she walked out of the room and turned to look at the others as if he suddenly remembered they were in the room. He blushed again and walked over to the coffee pot to pour a cup.

Morgan leaned against the counter and poured himself a cup also. He looked at Reid sideways waiting until he was just about to swallow some coffee.

He grinned at him. "So, she's got a thing for your glasses, huh, pretty boy?" he said teasingly.

Reid choked on his coffee. "Shut up..." he told his friend and moved away from him. Derek's laughter followed him into the hall.

He heard Dave's chuckle and Garcia's light admonishment as the door swung closed behind him. He leaned against the wall, thinking about how much he loved his little family while waiting for Scarlett to finish her review, hoping she didn't say anything that could set back what they'd resolved so far. He had to trust her...


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Scarlett shook her shoulders out slightly before entering the room where Hotch was waiting, trying to release the tension there. She opened the door and met his eyes as he stood.

"Before we start anything on record Aaron," she asked using his given name as this was a personal request, "am I allowed to hear the previous conversation?" she asked.

Hotch watched her closely. "I think your answers and reactions will be more honest if we take your statement first, Scarlett..."

She bit her lip and rolled her eyes. "Fine..." she sat down in the chair and waited for him to start the recorder. The machine lit green and she stared at it like it was going to bite her.

"Agent Ryan," Hotch redirected her attention back to his eyes. "I have been requested to create an official report in regards to the incident pertaining to last night's crime scene. Are you aware that these statements are being recorded and do you agree to answer on the record?" he asked officially.

"Yes, sir..." she stated for the recorder.

"As you have heard, there were some instances last night that brought up some protocol concerns for the agency, or perhaps a lack of protocol would be a better term..."

Scarlett leaned forward and crossed her hands over her knees to keep from twitching. "I wasn't aware of any lack of protocol, sir. I am truly sorry if anything I did in my attempts to handle the situation with this case crossed any boundaries. I did everything that I could to control a grave situation and would have preferred if all had gone as planned and we had been able to bring the unsub outside of the club without incident. Unfortunately, as you know, that was no longer an option when the perp pulled a semi-automatic weapon out and directed it towards myself and the crowd behind me. Even as I fired my weapon I was aiming to disarm the unsub, unfortunately the angle I had to work within only allowed for the kill shot. As the Bureau is aware, I am sure, I have exemplary firearm qualifications, and had there been any other way for this situation to have been handled..." Scarlett stopped as Hotch cleared his throat.

"Agent, the director actually had other concerns other than the situation inside the club. Your discharge of your weapon is not under scrutiny..."

"Oh?" Scarlett feigned innocence for the recorder and gave Hotch a grin. "I apologize, then. What incident could be of concern?"

Aaron lowered his brows at her and shook his head slightly before offering her a grin of his own. Leave it to Scarlett to turn this around and bring the director's attention back to what was actually the more important matter in the situation.

"Outside of the scene, once the situation had been cleared, you may or may not have noticed, but there were several media outlets taping the scene, attempting to get reports on what had transpired." he stated.

Scarlett's grin was brilliant. "Yes, sir. I did notice the media. I stayed back from where they were recording and covered myself with a standard issue police blanket to attempt to keep my identity as inconspicuous as possible, especially since I sometimes am called to be undercover with the team."

"And when Agent Reid came onto the scene?" Hotch asked.

"I noticed him heading to the direction of the EMS station and called him over to where I had been standing..." she admitted. "I knew he was concerned and looking for information on me, directly. So I called out to him and caught his attention..."

"Dr. Reid had admitted during his interview that he was concerned that his 'excessive affections' were caught on media recordings because he was unaware of the reporters in the area." Hotch swallowed a grin as he noticed Scarlett bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at Reid's description.

"Yet you stated you were aware and had taken to attempt to cover yourself from them. Can you explain how they could have escaped Dr. Reid's notice?" he asked gently.

"Of course," she said almost flippantly. She toned her voice down a notch at Aaron's look and stifled a sigh. "Dr. Reid was just coming on scene and was concerned for the team's safety and particularly in my safety since the last thing he'd heard was that I was going in undercover. He was overly concerned for my safety..."

"And the reason for that and for his actions once he found you?"

Scarlett thought for a moment trying for the best wording to keep the heat off of either Spence or Hotch.

"_Our _actions," she clarified, "were probably the same as any other couple on that scene who had been concerned for each other's safety, I suppose. And as far as Dr. Reid being unaware of the media, I can only answer that as soon as I pointed them out, he released me, and we returned to where the others of our team were positioned..."

Scarlett watched Hotch, hoping that she was saying everything correctly. She truly liked their team leader, and while she didn't want Spencer under scrutiny, she wanted to make certain she covered Hotch on all bases also.

"Sir, if I may add to my statement?" she asked watching the recorder and looking to meet his eyes. Hotch tensed, not quite sure where she would take the statement but acquiesced.

"Of course, SSA Ryan. The floor is yours."

"I understand that there is no set protocol for relationships within departments or within our structure. I do understand that usually propriety is something that falls under common sense, and I apologize that I didn't use much of that where last night was concerned. I will promise to be more vigilant about my surroundings in the future. But with that being said, I would like to respectfully point out that Dr. Reid and I have been engaged in a relationship for over one hundred and sixty six days and have been on fifty three cases together, with this being the only time any 'excessive affection' had been noticed by the outside world." She took a breath and smiled slightly at Hotch. "I would like it noted that would be more Dr. Reid's doing than my own, since he tends to be more of the private between the two of us. Last night notwithstanding, I tend to be the more 'excessively affectionate' personality, just because of who I am- I am not shy, as others can probably reaffirm. My personality tends to be much more outgoing than his..." she added. "It is something that I will continue to work on controlling, for the sake of decorum."

Hotch nodded. "I appreciate your candor, Agent Ryan. I have spoken to the director this morning as she raised some concerns about you and Dr. Reid working together and have brought up the facts that you have stated myself. I hope I didn't over step any boundaries by mentioning to her that you both have been involved with each other for that time frame without any instances..."

"Absolutely not, sir. Neither Dr. Reid or myself have made it any secret that we have been seeing each other in a personal nature."

"Thank you. I had felt it necessary to point these facts out to her as she was considering perhaps either of your judgments might be jeopardized while working together and had thought to remove one of you from our team." Hotch waited for a moment for her reaction and silently thanked Reid when she just sat quietly waiting for him to continue. "After our discussion, she agreed that since this was one instance, that it wasn't necessary. She did however request this formal report and ask that you both agree to keep personal and professional relationships more private when on cases together, especially to be more aware if media is on a scene." Hotch leaned forward to the recorder and indicated it with a wave of his hand.

"Do you understand and agree to these terms as acceptable?" he asked her readying the recorder to turn off.

"Yes, sir. Of course... I agree and accept that I will remain more private and professional while on all cases..." Scarlett cocked her head and waited for him to shut off the recorder.

"So is Reid in trouble?" she asked outright.

"No," Hotch stated. "Why would you think he was?"

Scarlett scowled. "Before he came in, he seemed to think he was fucked..."

Hotch choked slightly on her choice words and Scarlett looked down. "He said that, not me..." she added sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"I told him the same things I told you..."

"He said you threw yourself on your sword for us... for him, he said for him... what did you do?" she asked watching her superior closely.

Hotch shook his head. "I didn't do any such thing. I just pointed out to the director that if I hadn't ceased communications with the other half of the team, or if I had reopened communications as soon as the situation was clear, it would have as least resolved most of the worry of the rest of our team who were left in the dark in this case. Reid wasn't the only one worried, Scarlett. Dave reamed me out when he got there and Garcia was having panic attacks until Morgan got a hold of her on the phone and reassured her everyone was alright. That truly was all my fault and nobody else. So I didn't 'throw myself on my sword'. I owned up to what was mine, that's all."

Scarlett took that into consideration. "I still appreciate it, Hotch. It means a lot to know that you are willing to go to the mat for us when this kind of sh- stuff rolls downhill. You could just have easily let us take the consequences."

"And I would have lost two of my best team members," he stated. "Because I have no doubt that no matter which one of you had been asked to leave, the other would have followed..." he smiled at her.

"Yeah, well, speaking only for myself and my temper, I know that would've been true," she gave him a grin. "Reid was just saying he wanted me to be a desk jockey, anyway..."

"I can't see that happening..." Hotch shook his head. "Just as I know there are probably a hundred colleges that would take him as a professor in a heartbeat, but I don't see him leaving either. He could have done a lot more with his talents in the private sector," Hotch mused.

Scarlett sighed. "He wouldn't be who he is if it weren't for what he puts into this job. It's part of what I love about him," she shrugged.

Aaron looked at Scarlett a little closer. "You know, Scarlett, I never once questioned your credentials when they came across my desk from the Chicago branch. I did wonder why you had asked to come to Quantico. I had minor concerns with you working so closely with your brother, and with Penelope, since you had such close relationships with the both of them. Then when you and Reid moved together so fast, well, I was skeptical to say the least. No so much for you, you'd proven yourself to be able to handle interpersonal relationships from back in Chicago, with John Carter," he watched as she took a breath but didn't break eye contact. "I was more concerned about Reid. He hasn't had your experience and had gone through a great deal after Mauve's death. I wasn't sure he would return to the job after that..."

Scarlett cast her eyes down and took another breath. "Are you saying that you don't think I am good for him?" she asked, raising her eyes once more to lock with his.

"No, I am saying the opposite," he smiled. "I have never seen Reid open up quite so quickly as he has with you, and although that startled me at first, it seems to me that you both together have proven to be good for each other. For example, I knew he'd talk to you before you came in here, and you'd remain calm so not to add to the collection of insubordination letters in your jacket..."

"Yeah, well... It's a bit easier for me when I actually have the feeling that I am a part of a team, instead of having people stabbing me in the back as it was in other locations... but that doesn't excuse my temper. I am seriously trying to work on that..." she admitted. "Especially when I pull something stupid like punching Reid..."

Hotch looked at her quizzically. She cleared her throat and twisted her hands nervously. "I didn't do it to hurt him, I was just pissed off. And it wasn't during a case or anything..." she tried to explain, thinking back to the scene she'd caused in Vegas in front of Morgan and Rossi. If there had been cameras on her then, well the director would have been correct in throwing her off the team. With a sigh, she admitted, "I have anger issues. I always have. I am thinking of continuing to see Dr. Cannon to work through some of them. As long as it doesn't reflect badly against my credentials," she clarified with a quick look.

Hotch shook his head. "Your decisions to follow through with mental health would only look positive in the job. It proves you are willing to take considerations towards your wellbeing." He thought for a moment. "Maybe by your keeping up with it, you could inspire the others to welcome the idea," he said quietly.

She studied him closely. "You follow through... I can see by your demeanor that you do, and that you know it helps..."

When he only nodded, Scarlett sighed. "Are you able to access our files?" she asked.

"No," he told her honestly. "I am only notified that there may be a risk, if that's the case but ultimately the record is sealed. It isn't for public record."

"And if I wanted you to see mine? If I wanted you to know more about me and my evaluations?" she asked. "Maybe I want your opinion..."

Hotch was unsure what she wanted him to say. "Scarlett, I don't need access to your records. If you have something to discuss with me, something you are concerned about, you can come and just talk to me directly..." he assured her.

She considered this a moment. "Okay... you know, I may take you up on that," she smiled. "Surprisingly enough, I find you easy to talk to..."

Hotch smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. You know, before he left, Reid described our team as family. I feel that way also, Scarlett. As far as I am concerned, we are all family..."

Scarlett looked at the clock on the wall. "I wish I had a better idea of what exactly that meant," she told him honestly, "But I think I took up enough of your time," she smiled. When Aaron walked her to the door, she impulsively stepped forward and gave him a hug. When he returned the hug, she grinned up at him.

"I am definitely the more 'excessively affectionate' one," she teased.

Hotch laughed and walked her out the door, his arm still around her as they moved back into the conference room. "I hadn't doubted that..." he told her as he opened the door for her.

Reid watched in awe as he saw Hotch holding Scarlet's shoulder and opening doors for her. Enamored... the words of the reporter came into his head. Her fellow agents were obviously enamored by her. He stood up and pulled a chair out for her to sit beside him.

Scarlett smiled up at his actions and held his hand under the table as the team gathered around to discuss how the reporter's requests for interviews should be handled.

Rossi had the easiest solution. "Am I correct in understanding that the four of you have time off coming where you are going home to visit family?" he asked Scarlett, Morgan, Garcia and Reid.

Scarlett nodded. "We are going to Chicago for the weekend for our mom's birthday, and a bit of a gathering..."

Rossi looked over to Hotch. "So why don't we push the paperwork through to release them starting now? Its just a few days early and it'll give them all a jump start on their plans. In the meantime, we will explain there was other determining factors that pulled them away and that 'super woman' in particular doesn't do interviews as per the nature of her sometimes having to go undercover..."

Penelope smiled at the idea. "Going with the undercover bit, I could get clearance to have most of the videos pulled from the internet. Granted, not everyone will listen or delete them, but it will help somewhat with the explosion of hits..."

Hotch looked over to Garcia. "It's still growing?"

She nodded. "Apparently, its very romantic... I'd say so too, being the hearts and flowers girl that I am, but I understand the need for this to go away..."

Hotch sighed. "Maybe, instead of making it go away and piquing even more interest, we need to do that interview and show two normal average working people, before this all becomes something blown out of proportion..."

Scarlett felt Spencer squeeze her hand tightly. "What? I mean, uh, an interview? With who, for what?"

Hotch looked over to Spencer and saw his face flaming already. "Reid, Ryan... you can go out and do a short interview for the press, just to put average faces to their story. You are just a couple who works together like any other couple... except that you jobs are sometimes more dangerous. People will understand, sympathize as they do with officers or service personnel, and this can close quietly."

He looked between the two and saw Scarlett rub Spencer's arm lightly. "We can handle this farm boy... a walk in the park," she winked at him, and gave him a grin. "Come on, it'll be fun..."

Spencer ducked his head down. "I don't know about fun..."

Scarlett laughed her throaty chuckle. "I'll give you a cookie..." she teased.

Morgan snickered. "I don't even want to know if that's a code..." and Scarlett threw him a look.

"Not helping, big brother." she warned.

Hotch cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the room. "I'm going to speak to the director, get her take on the idea. We'll reconvene here after everyone grabs something for breakfast..."

Scarlett and Spencer stood together, and she grabbed his hand pulling him away from the meeting rooms.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Are you hungry, farm boy?" she asked as they headed to the buffet that the hotel had set up. When he only shrugged, she quirked her head at him. "C'mon, babe. We'll grab food and go back to our room..." she tucked her head against his shoulder and sighed when he wrapped his arms around her. Until a complete stranger came up before them and snapped their picture, that is...

"What the f..." Scarlett was momentarily blinded by the flash and out of instinct reached for her weapon. She felt Reid steady her arm, not allowing her to pull it out of the holster.

"I'm sorry," the person before them apologized. "I just wanted to get a picture of the couple from that video- I know it's you! I just wanted to show my wife..." he backed away slowly seeing the glint in Scarlett's eye.

Reid stepped forward to intercede. "You should ask people before taking their pictures," he admonished quietly, not wanting to create any more of a scene. "Especially when one of them is an undercover FBI agent..." he said coolly.

"Oh... well I am so sorry, seriously, sorry. I will delete it, right now..." the man turned the camera and showed Reid that he deleted the picture. "I didn't realize... I'm not in any trouble, am I?" he asked, looking over to where Scarlett was still glaring at him.

Reid shook his head. "No, its fine now. Please, just continue on with your day..."

The man moved away quickly. When he reached his wife, she said something to him and he looked back at Scarlett again. He shook his head and they headed out of the dining room.

Spencer looked back to Scarlett who stood in the middle of the room chewing the side of the thumb. He sighed.

"I guess we are going to have to do something about this interview, after all." he told her.

Scarlett nodded and sighed. "I'm thinking so too. I can't have random people snapping my picture all over the bloody place," she frowned. "Hotch is right, if we take the mystique out of it, it will fade away faster..."

"I really don't like cameras or reporters Scarlett..." Reid told her watching as she grabbed two cups of coffee and handed them to him. She added some muffins to a plate and a bagel.

"Upstairs, sweetie. We'll take this up to the room and talk upstairs, away from any other prying eyes, okay?"

He nodded and followed her to the elevators. Once they cleared the lobby, he looked back and noticed several others staring at them. He sighed as the doors came closed around them.

"You saw that too?" she asked.

"Yes," he sighed and led the way back into their room. "We better tell Hotch and Penelope. It won't be long before reporters show up..."

"I'll call Penny, you get Hotch," she said as she pulled out her phone.

Twenty minutes later, they were set up for a ten minute question and answer segment with a select grouping of reporters who'd been recommend by JJ from back in Quantico. The director had given her blessings as long as the interview was kept short and it was made understood that yesterday's footage was not usual and because of extenuating circumstances. Penelope informed them the interview would be set for noon, and that the jet was going to be ready to leave directly after the interview. Then they were scheduled for the beginning of their well-earned vacation time.

Scarlett bit at her muffin and drank some coffee as Reid paced the floor of the hotel room.

"Darling, you are wearing out the carpet," she teased him.

He stopped and looked over at her, sitting casually in the chair. "How are you not nervous?" he asked incredulously.

Scarlett shrugged. "I'm keeping myself busy," she answered.

"Eating a muffin?"

She giggled. "No, babe, I'm watching your ass in those tight pants every time you turn around," she teased.

Spencer blushed and sat down on the bed. "Seriously Scarlett. Please, I am nervous enough already," he pleaded.

She sighed and wiped her hands off on a napkin. She crossed the room to move to stand between his legs.

"Scarlett..."

"Spencer..." she mimicked.

When he sighed deeply and looked around, she caught his chin with her hand and forced him to meet her eyes.

"What are you thinking about right at this second, doll?" she asked him.

He watched her eyes blink slowly and looked into the sea green that he'd come to adore. He cleared his throat.

"How beautiful your eyes are," he answered quietly.

"Mmm, nice," she smiled and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. She backed up just a little so she was breathing in the air he exhaled.

"What else?" she asked softly, her lips so close they brushed against his.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "You smell like blueberries and coffee," he said.

She smiled and he felt the movement against his lips. He tasted the very things he'd just described as she ran her tongue lightly over his mouth. He groaned softly and opened to her, savoring her kiss.

She pulled away a little and felt his hands move to her hips keeping her close. He leaned forward, pulling her onto his lap and resuming the kiss she'd started. When he stopped for a moment and his eyes opened to look into hers, she smiled.

"And what are you thinking about now, Spencer Reid," she teased, licking her lips lightly.

"I don't know. My mind's gone blank..." he said honestly.

She kissed him again, pushing him back across the bed so she was straddling him. When he groaned again, she leaned forward and brushed his hair back away from his face.

"I don't want you to be upset or nervous, farm boy. I want you to be happy and relaxed like you are right now," she kissed his neck and bit lightly at the cord there. She felt his hips arch up involuntarily against her.

"I love you Spencer," she told him softly whispering against his ear.

"As I love you," he told her, quoting the Shirley Bassey song they liked to dance to whenever they managed to get the time. He pulled her down across him again so she snuggled into his side. "I love you Katy Scarlett..."

"Mmm, so that's all we need to show them sweetheart. That's their story, so let's just give it to them. Nothing scary about that," she lay her arm across his chest and stroked his collarbone lightly.

"Katy..." he breathed in the scent of her hair. He shivered as her fingers tripped along his neck and she loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his chest. When she stroked the sensitive skin there lightly, he shivered.

"Scarlett..." he tried again, his voice quietly tight.

"Yes, my sweet boy?" she said kissing his chest.

His breath stuttered along with his heart. "Do you think we have time to, um..."

He felt her grin press against his chest. "We will make time to 'um', pretty boy," she told him as she unbuckled his belt.

He allowed himself to forget everything else except the woman in his arms.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Spencer sat across from Scarlett in the jet heading back to Virginia, watching her surreptitiously while pretending to read his book. About the third time she felt his eyes on her, she glanced up, caught him and grinned.

"Okay, Spence, spill it. What's on your mind?"

He looked back down to the book quickly. "Nothing, really..."

She cocked her head to the side. "You aren't really reading..." she told him, "and you keep staring at me..." she said pointedly.

Reid caught her eyes again quickly. "I _am_ reading. I could repeat the whole chapter to prove it to you," he said with a smile.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could, and you probably read it ten years ago..." she laughed. She watched as he shifted slightly in his seat and looked over to her, indicating he wanted her to move closer to talk. She obliged and squeezed as closely as possible, linking her knees over his legs with a small chuckle.

"Better, farm boy?" she teased as she tucked a lock of his hair back behind his ear.

He blushed and looked around. "Sort of... although not quite what I meant," he said, squeezing her knee lightly.

"So, what's on your brilliant yet always over-worried mind Spencer Reid?" she asked a little more quietly.

"I was just thinking over the interview, that's all, really..." he told her, clasping her hands into his.

Scarlett threaded her fingers into his and gave them a squeeze. "It went fine Spence... even the director gave us her stamp of approval... What can you possibly be worrying about?" she asked, her brows pinched together in concern.

"I'm not worrying, crazy girl," he said, running his thumb across the wrinkle on her forehead.

"Then what?" she asked, confused.

Spencer watched her eyes and trailed his thumb down her cheek. "I was just thinking that I am in awe of you..." he said quietly.

She scowled, not happy with him saying that. "Don't be silly," she told him shifting away from his gaze.

"Why is that silly?" he asked. "I'm allowed to be as enthralled by you, as everyone else is, aren't I?"

Scarlett huffed. "Please, Spence. Don't do that. I am nothing special. I just told them what they wanted to hear..."

This time Reid rolled his eyes. "Scarlett, you worked that whole room until people were eating out of your palm..."

"Spencer, please. This wasn't even about me. I did what I had to do to throw the hounds off the scent of a story and to keep our team together. I would've done a song and dance on a table if I had to to make that work..." she glanced around, uncomfortable with the admiration he was showing her.

"Stop it," she snapped, moving to pull out of his arms when she saw him looking at her again.

Spencer didn't understand her behavior, but instead of giving her up, he held her tighter.

"You aren't comfortable with the attention either," he deduced, tucking his hands between her knees and holding her in place.

"Of course not," she told him. "Just because I know the steps to that song and dance, doesn't mean that I like to perform it..." she said, looking into his face. "And I don't like it when you look at me like I'm something special," she groused, looking down at his hands.

Reid nudged her shoulder with his until she looked back up at him. "Well," he shrugged, leaning in closer to nuzzle his lips along her neck, "that's something you'll just have to get used to then, crazy girl, because I happen to think you are the most special woman on this earth..." he told her softly, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Scarlett sighed. "Spencer, please. I'm just me. Faults and all- you have to take the whole package, not just the pretty bits you choose to see in your eyes..."

He tightened his hands around hers. "Is that what you are afraid of, Katy? That I can't love all of you? Because that's not true. I do. I love you, heart and whole..." he pulled her back so she settled into the seat alongside of him. "Even the crazy parts. I didn't say that I thought you were perfect..."

Scarlett leaned her head against his shoulder and traced his hands with her fingers. "Okay... fine. Just please, remember that. I don't want to be up on any ridiculous pedestal, Reid. It's too far of a fall..." she sighed and felt him tense under her.

"Fine, no pedestal..." he said. "And don't call me Reid..." he told her.

Scarlett sighed and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Mmm-hmm. Maybe I'll just call you my boy toy, then instead..." she laughed as his face flamed red.

"Scarlett..." he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, my pretty boy toy?" she said in a sing song voice, purposefully embarrassing him.

"Come on, now... stop it..." he blushed harder, looking around to see if anyone else heard her teasing him.

Scarlett chuckled. "Okay, okay, babe- I'll stop..." she kissed his neck lightly. "I love you Spence," she told him quietly.

He snuggled closer into her side and kissed her back. "I love you too, Scarlett."

"Even when I tease you mercilessly?" she asked.

"Yeah," he pulled her hands up to his lips and kissed them. "Probably even more then..."

She laughed. "Why even more?"

Spencer ducked his head a bit and looked at her through his lashes and shrugged. "I don't know, I guess because when you're teasing me, it's like, special attention..."

Scarlett shook her head in disbelief. "I'm always willing to give you 'special attention', Spence..." she bit her bottom lip and looked around quickly, making sure nobody was eaves-dropping on their conversation. "Sometimes even at inappropriate times," she said with an evil grin and ran her hand up the inside of his thigh. With her legs over his knees creating a cover, she traced small circles up higher on his leg until she worked her way up to the crotch of his pants.

Reid closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose trying to distract himself from her wandering hands. When he felt her fingers circle lightly over his zipper, he sucked in a quick breath and nabbed her hands to still them. He shuddered slightly when he opened his eyes and met her smoldering gaze.

"Too much attention?" she asked, her voice dropped lower, giving it a husky quality.

"For here, now?" he stammered. "A bit much, yes..."

Scarlett pretended to pout. "No mile high club then?" she asked coquettishly. She laughed lightly at his strained look.

"Spencer. Relax. I am teasing, pretty boy... at least for here and now anyway..." she shrugged and looked around. "But another time and place, maybe..." she grinned.

"Scarlett, I just... Jesus... you are killing me..." he looked around quickly as she had, and pulled her hip into the juncture of his thighs, rubbing against her. She felt the hard rise of his need pressing through both his pants and her jeans. He saw surprise cross her face briefly, until it was quickly replaced by lust.

"I take it that you're a fan of that idea then?" she asked him, running a finger along his jaw. "I'll make sure I file that away, in case an opportunity should come up..." she smiled up at him as she shifted, rubbing against him again. He groaned quietly into her neck.

"Shh..." she whispered against his ear. "I'll stop..." She smiled and re-situated her position to allow him to settle down.

Spencer watched her move to the seat across from him. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and met her eyes. "Scarlett..." he said softly, directing her attention back to him.

She saw him pick his book back up and look over the cover at her. "Yes?" she asked, curling her legs up underneath her and cocking her head to the side.

He threw her his own wicked grin. "You are in trouble once I get you home..." he told her and dropped his eyes back to the words on the pages before him.

Scarlett felt a ripple of desire shiver over her skin as if he'd just touched her. She blew out a breath and bit her bottom lip. When she saw him grin again she smiled. "Promises, promises," she whispered in a hushed voice, picking up a magazine and flipped through pages, wishing that they were home already...


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It didn't even seem like they'd had chance to sleep in their own beds before they were on a commercial flight heading to Chicago. Penelope had wanted to take the most advantage of the time they had coming, so she'd scheduled them into an early Friday arrival.

"Seriously, Penny, we could have just came in tomorrow and met up with everyone," Scarlett pouted while waiting for her baggage.

"C'mon, Katy-bird..." Penelope looked over to her friend. "This is a vacation, it's not supposed to be painful," she smiled and hugged Scarlett into her side and kissed her forehead.

"Anyway, since mom 'found out' about her surprise party, this gives us a good chance to catch up with the family tonight, party with friends tomorrow and then still have her birthday with everyone on Sunday..." Morgan interjected, understanding Garcia's line of thinking. Having Scarlett surrounded by all her family and friends this weekend was a sort of therapy as far as he was concerned...

Scarlett blew out a breath and watched her hair fall back across her face tiredly. "I just don't do vacations..." she complained.

"Maybe you need to start," Derek said as he grabbed her satchel off the conveyor and added it to Penelope's growing pile of luggage. "Is this everything now?" he asked Garcia.

"I think so," she said sheepishly. "I wasn't sure what to bring..."

"Pens, we are supposed to go shopping this afternoon with Desi and Sarah anyway... If you need anything else we could have just bought it..."

Derek rolled his eyes at Spencer, as he was walking up to the group carrying coffee. "What are we going to do while they women are shopping?" he asked Reid as he grabbed a to-go cup from his friend.

Penelope and Scarlett both threw them dirty looks. Spencer handed over the other cups and shook his head. "I think they expect us to go with them, Morgan..." he told his friend.

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Why?" he asked the girls.

Scarlett linked her arm through Spencer's. "Well, I don't know about you, but I just want Spence along... you can bow out if you want..."

"Oh no," Garcia tugged on Derek's sleeve. "I need you to remind me that I may not need another pair of shoes..."

Morgan laughed. "Since when do you listen to my opinion about your shoes, baby girl?" he teased.

"I didn't say I'd listen," she smiled as Derek hugged her close and pressed a kiss to her hair.

Scarlett watched her friends as she directed everyone towards a waiting cab and they loaded up to head to home.

Spencer noticed the quiet look that settled over her face. He nudged her slightly as they slid into the cab.

"What are you thinking about crazy girl?" he asked her quietly.

Scarlett turned her eyes up towards his and smiled. "Just getting a little nostalgic, I guess," she answered honestly.

"That's a good or a bad thing?" he watched her, concerned about how emotional this might become for her.

"I'm fine pretty boy... don't start worrying over me already, please?" she asked.

"I won't..." he said trying to make his voice sound lighter.

"Mmm-hmm," she reached up and kissed his lips quickly.

"I'll try not to," he amended and she grinned at him.

"That's better," she laughed.

They pulled up in front of the hotel in a short time and settled everything into the rooms they'd rented for the weekend. Scarlett's phone hadn't stopped ringing since she'd called her sister and let them know they'd landed, and she was pacing through the room now with it at her ear.

Reid sat on the sofa watching her chew on her thumbnail nervously. The next time she passed by, he nabbed her waist and pulled her down next to him. He tugged her hand from her mouth and looked from her thumb to her mouth quizzically.

Scarlett sighed. She knew he was asking what was making her upset, but she wasn't quite certain of what it was herself. So she lay her head against his shoulder and breathed in his scent, trying to center herself against her jangling nerves.

He held her tightly, listening to the one sided conversation quietly. Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes as Desi continued to speak on the other end.

"Des, I'm going to see you in two hours, okay? Let me get my shower and then we are meeting up for shopping and then dinner... I got it, right...okay? Let me go now..." he saw a soft smile play across her lips. "I miss you too sissy... Right, Love ya, okay, yes... okay... Later..." she hung up the phone and sighed as she snuggled deeper into Spencer's side. "Jesus..." she breathed deeply as he pushed some of her hair back over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Scarlett laughed. "Nothing's wrong, farm boy. That's just hurricane Desi. She wanted to make sure everything was planned out, confirmed and re-confirmed... She's probably on the phone with Derek now, driving him crazy double checking everything she just asked me..."

Spencer nodded in understanding. "She's the planner..."

Scarlett laughed. "You could say that..." she tugged at his hand, pulling him up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around his waist. "She also wanted to double check that you were coming along today..." she said looking up to meet his eyes.

Reid's brows pinched together. "Why?" he asked.

"Because you are the shiny new toy, sweetie. Everyone wants to meet you..." she teased.

"I've met them all before... your family, anyway," he amended.

"Yeah, but now you are my boo," she told him. "That puts you under a whole new microscope..."

Spencer groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not seriously..."

"Seriously, darling... and I apologize for them ahead of time..." she kissed him lightly as his face turned a shade of pink right up to his ears. "Don't worry... Derek and I will run interference if they start driving you too crazy..."

"I just don't know what to say," he said, ducking his head to touch hers. "I don't want to say something wrong..."

"Oh, Spence... you can't say anything wrong... they are my family, they love me, so therefor they love you. Besides, like you said, they do know you already, so its not like they'll have a ton of personal questions... They already know a lot..."

"And your friends... we are meeting everyone tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Yes. At a club we used to always go to..." Scarlett took his hand. "You'll be fine Spencer..."

"I don't do clubs, Scarlett. I'm going to be out of place..."

"Charlotte and Carrie are sweethearts, farm boy. Coop is big and loud but harmless and Remy doesn't do clubs either, he just follows Carrie. Dave is a ball buster- but I'll keep an eye on him. If he seems to be irritating, I'll knock him down a peg or two..." she told him chewing on her thumb again.

He quirked an eyebrow at her action. "So you are nervous about meeting up with them?" he asked, pulling her thumb out of her mouth again. "Or are you worried about me meeting them?"

"No," she stated hotly, pulling away from him. "Don't profile me Spence..."

"I'm not 'profiling' you Scarlett..." he answered, grabbing her hand. "It's easy to see you're nervous about something..." he sighed. "Is it because they were John's friends too?"

"No..." she pouted. "I don't know... I don't want you to be uncomfortable..."

"And, being that they were your friends and John's friends, you think I'll have a problem because his name is going to be brought up in conversations?" he asked.

"See, you are profiling..." she said irritated.

"I am deducing, Scarlett. It's different... I want to know what you are thinking," he lifted her hand and kissed her palms lightly, sending shivers up her spine.

"I don't have to go tomorrow," he said quietly, watching her eyes. "You need to spend some time with your friends, they miss you- but I don't have to go..."

Scarlett's eyes widened. "Oh, no... No!" she placed her hands along his face and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "Please, Spencer. I want you there. I want you with me... please," she asked.

"Hey," he watched as her eyes filled with tears. "Come on, Katy, Jesus, don't cry- I'll go... I just thought maybe you'd want to just spend time with them... It's okay, darling, I'll go... please don't cry..." he pulled her against his chest.

Scarlett sniffled, aggravated with herself for tearing up. She swiped at her eyes. "Sorry. That was a lame ass girlie thing to do..." she said hotly, her anger at herself coming out in her voice.

He pulled back a bit and kissed her forehead. "Scarlett... stop. It's alright to cry, just not over something I can fix. If it makes you happier for me to meet your friends, I'll go... it's that simple..."

"I don't even understand why I'm crying. It's so stupid..."

Spencer sighed. "Scarlett. It's an emotional time for you. Cut yourself a tiny break, okay? You haven't been home with your family in over half a year, and they miss you. You haven't seen your friends in longer than that, and its a tough month, hell its a tough week for you emotionally right now... so don't cut yourself off from that. Please? Do me a favor, and if you feel overwhelmed, just talk to me... I'm right here..."

Scarlett watched as he ran a finger down her cheek to her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. She felt the tears fill again and raged against it, until a sob escaped her throat. When he pulled her against his chest, she allowed the dam to break and stayed in his embrace, crying against his warmth and comfort.

Reid held her tightly, feeling the emotions wrack through her body and she sobbed against his chest. His heart was breaking for her, knowing she needed this, that she'd been holding in the loss and pain for too long of a time now. After awhile, he felt her breathing change as the sobs became hiccups and she pulled back a bit in his arms.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her face wet with tears and her eyes greener than he'd ever seen before. He watched her bite her bottom lip as she dragged in a shallow breath.

"Please stop," she asked him, moving off the couch.

"Stop what?"

Scarlett took another stuttering breath trying to regain composure. She shook her head and reached for some tissues alongside the one table. She swiped at her face, and turned to look back at him where he was still staring. She sighed.

"Stop looking at me like that, Spence. I'm a hot mess, and you're looking at me like _that_..."

"I can't help how I look at you, Scarlett. I love you," he shrugged slightly and scuffed his feet. "I was just thinking, maybe I always have..."

She looked at him quizzically. "What?"

He looked at her standing just out of his reach, the window at her back, and saw her that first time all over again, standing in the room at her mother's house.

"The first time I met you, Scarlett. You looked like you were in so much pain..."

"I told you about that," she interrupted. "You know I was..."

"But I felt the same way then that I do right now. I want to make that pain go away... I did then too. I would have done anything that night to make your pain go away..."

Scarlett watched him step closer and she wiped at her face again. "That's your white knight syndrome, Reid..." she countered. "You want to rescue me..."

"Who is profiling now?" he asked.

She grunted. "Deducing," she said throwing his words back at him.

He stopped about halfway, not reaching out for her yet. Giving her the space that he knew by now she felt she needed while her emotions were running high. He rocked back on his heels and met her gaze.

"You remember the first day you came to Quantico, after I offered to give you a ride to the bar that night?" he gave her a half second to recall the memory.

"Of course... I was told you were supposedly so shy, and yet..." she shrugged. "You didn't seem to be shy to me, anyway... A bit awkward maybe, but not shy..."

"Yeah, I surprised myself too, but Derek told me then that you had something special, that there was something about you that made people want to take care of you... I didn't know what he meant, then. But I think I get it now... I realized even that first night, when I had no idea who you were, I wanted to take care of you..."

"And I told you, you did," she responded.

He shook his head. "More than that, Scarlett. I held myself back from going over to you that night, I wanted to hold you, just like I do now..."

She tilted her head and looked at him strangely. "Well, I'm glad you did hold back, sweetie, because that may have freaked me the fuck out..."

He grinned and shook his head at her choice of words. "Yeah, probably. But still, it's strange that I hadn't even realized it until now."

Scarlett watched him. "And does that worry you on some level then, farm boy? Because I don't want to freak _you_ out, but I decided that I wanted to be near you not long after that, myself... So what does that say about us?"

"I don't know. Maybe we were meant to be together," he said quietly.

Scarlett stepped closer to him and reached out to run a hand down his chest. "I believe very much in Fate, Spencer Reid. I always know that whatever happens, there is a reason for it, even things that make me angry, unhappy or things that I can't see a reason in... So if you're asking me if I think maybe we were fated to be together, I'd have to answer honestly that I believe so... But what about you? You lend your ideals more towards a scientific route, so why don't you tell me what it is that you can't wrap your mind around, darling?"

Spencer moved closer and leaned his forehead against hers. "If 'fate' interceded Scarlett, then it just makes me wonder if John and Maeve helped at all with pushing us together," he answered quietly.

She reached up to hold his face in her hands. "I think that they loved us. So with that love comes a wanting for those you love to be happy. So if they are on a different plane of conscientiousness, as I believe," she clarified, "then I think they probably conspired to get us to meet up again... and so you felt comfortable enough to take me in so easily and I felt secure enough to trust you and talk to you about things I've never talked about to anyone. So, yes... I think we are meant to be right here, right now, together. John would have wanted me to heal, and you are helping me do that- you have been from that first moment. How could I not believe that?" Scarlett leaned up and brushed her mouth softly against his lips.

"I thought when I lost Maeve that I couldn't ever believe in fate again," he told her quietly. "I thought that it was a joke, because she and I had talked about our getting to know each other had been fated... so if that could have been removed so quickly, so violently... Then well fate was either just a cruel joke or something that I'd allowed myself to foolishly believe in... so I didn't want anything to do with it. I thought sticking to straight facts was the best way to heal and move through the pain, for myself..."

She waited for him to continue, watching his eyes close as he took a breath and opened them to hers once again.

"I told you that I didn't use, Scarlett, and that was the truth, but you have no idea how close I came. I didn't want to think anymore. I didn't want to remember anything, and I still have two vials of Diuladid in my apartment. I came very close to throwing away my sobriety, just to forget..."

Scarlett said nothing but startled a bit at that information, noting he stated that he still has, not had. She waited quietly as he pulled back a bit from her and paced a bit before her.

"But you were there..." he looked at her once again, stopping before her. "Not physically, obviously, but you were there in that notebook. Your words, your feelings... you helped me through the pain," he told her.

"You didn't know then that it was me, Spencer..."

"I know now... and I guess that's another piece of fate that I am wondering about..." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. But Scarlett- I do know that I love you. I am still here for you, waiting to hold you... if you need me to, or to talk to if that's what you are ready for... I know you have a hard time with that, but maybe if you can chalk it up to fate, if you can believe in that, then maybe you can have a little faith that I can help, if you let me..."

Scarlett moved into his arms, feeling him wrap himself around her protectively.

"Spence, I never doubted that you were here for me. I rely on that, maybe a bit too much for my own security, actually. I'd rather not feel like I need you. But I do. I love you and I need you- and that scares me," she hugged him tightly and pulled back a little to look up into his face. "It scares me, farm boy, because even as much as I knew I loved and cared about John, I never felt like I needed him. I didn't want him in my head, I didn't want him sorting through personal demons- I didn't need him to be a part of that... But with you..." she felt a shudder along her spine and leaned her forehead against his chest, unable to look into his eyes. "With you, I feel like I can share that part of me. You won't try to cover up my scars or try to display them... I feel like you just accept them as a part of the whole of me..."

"I don't think you are broken and need to be repaired, Scarlett. I think you are scarred because you've been through battles and came out on the other side of those a lot stronger..." he kissed the crown of her head and hugged her tight. "I am in awe of how strong you are, Katy Scarlett."

She looked up at him and smiled a bit. "No pedestals, Spence..."

"None whatsoever, beautiful. I promise," he leaned forward and caught her mouth in a kiss. When she stepped forward against him and deepened it, he felt her sigh. He ran his hand up to the small of her back, pulling her forward and teased at her mouth with his own until her lips parted.

Scarlett shoved him back down onto the sofa and climbed onto his lap. She felt him shift slightly and noticed him look at his watch.

"I know..." she said, brushing her lips against his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Penny will be knocking at the door any minute..." she told him.

"Right," he looked quickly at her mouth as her tongue darted across her lips. She smiled.

"So let's just take advantage of the time we have left," she grinned and kissed him again.

Spencer wrapped his fingers through the hair at the back of her neck, pulling her closer. He tucked his other hand down behind her thighs, settling her across his legs. He bit lightly at her neck and heard her throaty laugh when he growled.

"I want you..." he whispered in her ear and lightly ran his tongue along the shell of it. He felt her shiver against him.

"You have me, Spencer," she told him softly. "Heart and whole..."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Morgan and Reid sat in a boutique waiting on the women to come out of yet another dressing room. Derek looked over as Sarah came out of one of the rooms in a dress that she'd wanted to purchase for Sunday's party.

When she swung in front of them, he looked up and met his sister's eyes.

"Well?" she asked.

"It's very nice," he said with a sigh. "So were the other three..." he added.

She huffed slightly. "Brothers are no help whatsoever," she rolled her eyes. "Katy..." she called into the dressing room. "Come out here and give me a genuine opinion, please?"

Spencer looked up as Scarlett came out of the room in a green dress that matched her eyes. The ruched top clung like a second skin, flared at the waist and hung above her knees in the front while a ruffle along the back gathered and draped farther down to her calves. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she gave her attention to her sister.

Sarah sighed and looked to Scarlett. "Honey, I just want a dress that makes my man look at me like yours is at you, right now..." she said quietly.

Scarlett looked back quickly to catch Spencer's gaze and he blushed and looked away. "I guess this one is a keeper," she said to Sarah.

"Mmm, are we talking about the dress or the man, doll?" she teased.

Scarlett smiled. "Both, but definitely the man, Sarah... He's something special."

She followed Sarah back to the rows of dresses and found Desi carrying an armful of assorted clothes.

"Oh, Scarlett, that's perfect!" she said looking over her baby sister. "Now you just need shoes... but wait, I gotta try these on- and I found another one for you," she said to Sarah. "I grabbed this little black number, too, that I thought just screamed for your attention, if you budgeted for two dresses this weekend," Desi kept talking as her sisters followed her back to the dressing rooms once again.

"I usually get most of my wardrobe from consignment shops, so I think I can afford to splurge for today," Scarlett answered as she took the dress to try on. It really was cute, with a cut that gave it a pin-up girl type of vibe.

Penelope turned in front of the mirror showing off the outfit she'd put together. "Oh, Scarlett, that would look great for tomorrow night..." she told her, holding out her hand to take the hanger and hold the dress up against her friend. "I have a similar cut dress, and we will do our hair up..." Garcia looked over her glasses and grinned. "The boys won't know what hit them..."

Scarlett laughed, enjoying herself immensely. "Okay, Pens, if it fits, I'll get it. As long as you promise to fight with my hair, because I am so not..." she turned and moved back into the dressing rooms. She could hear Derek whining to Desi about how long this process was taking.

"Derek, you knew we were planning on an afternoon of shopping..." Desi admonished him. "You and Spencer could have stayed back at my house and helped baby-sit. Nobody dragged you along..."

Morgan grinned and rubbed his stomach. "You said shopping and dinner, sis..."

Desi cocked an eyebrow at him. "Are you starving? No... so we are finishing here, going down the street to get shoes, then we will eat..." she turned and walked away ending the conversation.

"Shoes? Man... we are in trouble, Reid," he said turning to his friend. "Maybe we should just skip the next field trip and grab some coffee over at the Starbucks..."

When he didn't get any response, he looked over and grinned as he saw that Spencer was in a whole different world, watching Scarlett, who'd just came out to show the others the black dress.

"Reid..." he waited a moment then snapped his fingers in front of Spencer's face. "Hey, pretty boy..."

"Um, what?" Spencer turned to look over at Morgan. "You said something about shoes?"

Derek laughed. "I said we could skip the shoe shopping and go get coffee..." he repeated for his friends benefit.

Spencer sighed. "Right... I guess. I never realized there was such a ritual in all of this," he commented, watching the women as they compared their decisions yet again.

"Yeah, a long drawn out, taxing process... especially when we are the ones stuck sitting in these chairs," Morgan rolled his eyes. "Let's go, kid. We'll tell the ladies we will meet them over at the shoe place..."

Derek turned as he felt a hand at the small of his back. "Boutique, brother dear..." he heard Scarlett's voice respond. "It's a shoe boutique, not just a shoe place..." she teased and moved around him, taking a quick spin around in the black dress.

"Before you run off and hide at Starbucks, I wanted the male opinion on this one," she said, looking over to Spencer. "What do ya think farm boy? Yea or nay?" she turned once again, to show the full view.

Reid cleared his throat. "It's classic," he said, looking over the lines of the dress and how they hugged against her curves.

Scarlett glanced back at the mirrors again. "That would work well with the club, too," she told him. "So go ahead, bail on us, you two..." she stepped forward and leaned up to Reid.

Spencer dropped a light kiss across her lips. Looking down at her he said, "We don't have to go..."

"Oh, no... no," Morgan reached over and clapped a hand onto Reid's shoulder. "Coffee, we are going to get out of here, away from the females, for at least long enough to get coffee, Reid... Scarlett won't miss you that much, she'll be busy trying on tons of shoes," he complained.

Scarlett looked over at Derek and gave him a wicked grin before turning back to look up at Reid and pout. "Maybe I will miss him that much, though, big brother... Maybe I'd rather if he stayed..." she said leaning into Spencer's chest.

Morgan groaned. "Really, Katy? C'mon, cut me a break, I'm dying here..."

Spencer laughed, leaned down again and kissed her forehead. "Have fun with your sisters," he told her, knowing she was just playing with Morgan. "We'll catch up with you at the shoe place," he teased.

Scarlett laughed. "Alright, babe. See ya later..." she kissed him quickly and moved past Morgan. "Behave yourselves..." she said lightly heading back to the dressing room.

Derek shook his head. "We're going to Starbucks, how much trouble could we get into?"

Scarlett turned a quick look back over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "You? Darling, you could find trouble in a Starbucks, yes. Especially if there are cute baristas involved..." she threw a little wave over her shoulder and walked away.

"Ready?" Morgan asked as Reid continued following Scarlett with his eyes.

"Sure," he shrugged and followed him out the door.

They had walked about half a block when Reid spotted a small antique shop tucked into a line of stores. He stopped at the window and was looking at a piece of jewelry that had caught his eye.

Morgan stopped beside him and looked from the window to his friend. He sighed. "You've got it bad, kid..." he said and lightly nudged Spencer forward. "Go ahead. We'll check it out..."

Reid stepped into the slightly darkened interior as Morgan followed behind him. There was a saleswoman at the counter, so he walked back towards her.

"May I see the ring in your front window?" he asked somewhat shyly.

The older woman smiled. "Certainly. It's such a beautiful piece. We just acquired it from an estate sale," she explained as she took the box from the window. "It's been verified by a jeweler," she told him, as she placed the set before him.

Derek let out a low whistle as he looked at the filigree ring that held a red gem cut into a heart shape with tines that had been designed to look like wings holding it into the setting.

"It looks pricey, Reid..." Morgan said quietly as the woman stepped away to assist another customer.

When Spencer pulled the ring out of its box for a closer look, he saw that the inside had been engraved. The words 'pour tous les temps' were written there.

"It looks like it should belong to her..." he told Morgan, turning the ring over to show it to Morgan.

Derek looked at his friend. "French... but what's it say, genius..."

"_Pour tous les temps_... for all time," he said quietly as he took the ring back and set it in the box. The saleswoman came back over and smiled.

"Have you decided anything sweetie?" she asked Reid.

"Yeah. I'd like to take it, please..." he told her without even asking for a price.

"Reid..." Derek said in a low voice. He just shook his head when the woman smiled and took his credit card.

"You didn't even ask for a price, kid. How do you know you aren't getting ripped off?"

Spencer shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's meant to be hers..."

Morgan rolled his eyes skyward. "At least look at the receipt before you sign it, okay?" he told him.

Reid completed the transaction and pocketed the box in his jacket. When they were finally seated at the coffee shop, Morgan cleared his throat and looked over at his friend.

"Reid?" he asked gently.

Spencer stirred more sugar into his coffee and looked up to meet Derek's eyes. "What?"

Morgan smiled slightly and shook his head. "I guess since I have you alone, I should do the big brother thing and ask you what your intentions are towards my sister..." he said only half joking.

Spencer blushed and snapped the lid back onto his coffee. "What do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Well, you just dropped quite a chunk of change on a ring..."

"It's not... it's just..." Spencer mumbled.

"Okay, then... My point is, are you thinking of asking her to marry you?" Derek watched the younger man blush hotly and show renewed interest in the coffee stirrer sitting on the table.

"That's not why I bought it," he said quietly. "I just want her to have it..." he lifted his eyes to meet Morgan's once again.

"But," he said adding a caveat to his statement, "I have thought about it... just it seems a bit early yet," he clarified.

Morgan closed his eyes briefly. He knew Reid well enough to understand that marriage would be his end game, he'd just hoped that the kid wasn't rushing things. He also knew his sister well enough to know she didn't rush and didn't want his friend's feelings getting hurt if he was pushing too fast.

He opened his eyes again and smiled over at Reid. "Well, then I would suggest whenever you give that box to her, you make sure there aren't any misunderstandings," he teased. "You may find yourself engaged whether you meant to or not..."

Reid shook his head. "Scarlett's not like that," he stated. "She's not in any hurry to push things in that direction..."

Derek took a drink and waited a moment. "You two talked about it already?" he asked.

"No, not directly. It's almost like she can tell if I'm thinking in that direction, because all of a sudden we are talking about taking things one day at a time," he shrugged. "So I figure that means she's not ready to think about it," he looked around the cafe before settling his eyes back down on the table top again, avoiding Morgan's gaze.

"Look, Reid," he nudged his friend with his foot gaining his attention once again. "I'm going to tell you something but I don't want you to take it the wrong way, okay?" Morgan sighed and leaned forward a little, dropping his voice. "I told you before, Scarlett has demons. I don't know what she's told you yet..."

Spencer watched as Derek's eyes narrowed a bit. "She's told me enough..." he answered unsure where Morgan was going with the conversation.

"She's happier now," Derek told him. He watched as Spencer took in that bit of information. "She's more herself than she has been in a long time, more than she ever even was with John," he clarified. "I told you they were happy together, that was the truth, Reid... but she's different with you. She more herself."

Spencer cocked his head to the side. "That's a good thing, right?" he asked confused.

Derek laughed. "That's a real good thing, kid. I don't think you could survive the nuclear meltdowns that she used to have with John. He tried to control her, and again, don't take this the wrong way- he loved her, but he couldn't or wouldn't be comfortable with her just being her... he tried to tell her how to think... he thought it was for her own good... but it wasn't. She has to work things through her own way. I guess because she doesn't process things the way he did, or the way I do... she sees things differently."

Spencer nodded, understanding. "Like I do..." he said softly. "She told me that before. That I get it..."

Morgan smiled. "Yeah, maybe that's it. You can see things more through her eyes, I don't know. But I'm telling you, she's happier than I've seen in a long time. So, even if it's moving slower than you'd hoped, it's moving in the right direction... I just thought you should know that," he told him.

Reid nodded and toyed with his coffee a little. "She told me about her father..." he said dropping his voice so no one would over hear. He saw Morgan's face change in a heartbeat as a quiet rage settled over his features.

"What?" he asked darkly.

Spencer felt his own anger rise. "She told me about her father," he said again. "Actually, she tried to tell me but ended up reliving it, so I've seen some of her demons first hand..." he stated.

Morgan scrubbed a hand across his face. "Let's get out of here," he said, looking around the crowded shop. "I need to walk..."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Spencer followed him outside as they walked down the street. They reached a small clearing and Derek stopped and turned to his friend.

"What happened? What did she tell you?" he asked, his eyes still holding a rage tightly controlled.

"Are you angry that she told me?" Reid asked him.

"What?!" Morgan shoved his fists into his pockets. "No, Reid... no. I'm pissed that she's still reliving that shit after all these years... that the bastard still has enough control over her to throw her into a flashback, that's why I am fucking angry..." he paced away slightly and back. "She used to have nightmares, every night, Reid. My mom, my sisters, even I have seen them. John wanted to find the bastard and kill him for every time he had to chase her down while she was in one..."

Spencer shuddered slightly, remembering how she couldn't get warm... "Yeah, I know that feeling. She said John wanted to hunt him down... I misunderstood and thought he'd wanted her to face him..."

Morgan barked out a laugh. "No, Reid, John wasn't a pacifist. He wanted him dead. He thought maybe then she could sleep at night..."

Reid nodded. He could understand that feeling all too well. "So he never found him. She doesn't know where he is..."

Morgan shook his head. "No. The bastard went underground when we finally were able to bring charges against him..."

"Garcia?" Spencer asked, knowing that if anyone could have located him, Penelope would have.

Morgan rolled his eyes. "Scarlett asked her not to look. She truly wants to believe he is dead, Reid."

Spencer looked at his friend. "But..." he watched Derek shift his eyes away.

"But nothing. Baby girl won't break her promise..." he looked a Reid again. "I tried, just to know, to have an idea, but she won't."

"You were there, when she'd come to your house after..." Reid swallowed against the bile in his throat. "You saw her..."

Morgan's eyes took on a look of pain that had Spencer rubbing at his heart. "Yeah. More times than I could count, Reid. We tried to protect her, the best we could, but the system worked against us. My mom was a single mother with three kids of her own to raise. They didn't think it was necessary to remove her from her biological father..."

"Until the physical abuse turned sexual..." Spencer clarified, needing to know.

Derek sucked in a breath. "Yeah. I wasn't home then, when that started. She would never go to the hospital or press charges..."

"She was too ashamed," Reid stated darkly, remembering her scrubbing herself raw after the flashback. "She blamed herself..."

"I suppose," he answered. "I was home that last night... when we finally convinced her to go to the police," he shook his head. "I didn't give her a choice in the end, Reid. I couldn't. He was going to kill her..."

Spencer paced away from Morgan a few feet and took a clarifying breath. He turned back and looked at his friend.

"She never said his name..." he told him.

Derek shook his head. He stepped closer to Reid. "Rowan..." he said quietly.

"Rowan Ryan?" Reid repeated.

Morgan shook his head. "No. She has her mother's last name. The bastard's name is Ian Rowan," he told him. He watched Reid process that information.

"She didn't tell you for a reason, kid. Don't let this become an issue," he warned him as he noticed the dark scowl move across his friend's face. "Her name has always been Katy Scarlett Ryan, so she wasn't hiding anything from you..."

Spencer nodded. "I'm not angry at her Morgan," he said honestly. "I understand why she didn't tell me. She couldn't, not even that night she told me... the memories were like she was re-living everything," he saw Morgan close his eyes against that knowledge. "I had to shake her out of it, and I haven't brought it up since. And I won't..."

Derek sighed deeply. "Does she still have the nightmares?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Reid straightened and looked at his friend. "Not since then. And I am with her- I'd know..."

Morgan nodded. "Then you are doing something right, Reid," he reached over and clasped a hand onto his shoulder. "You've done more than any of us ever could..." he told him.

"I'm trying..." Spencer said softly, looking over to his friend. "All I want is to take care of her and keep her safe..."

"You're doing fine..."

"I hope so," he said quietly and felt his fingers brush against the box in his pocket.

Derek started walking again, heading down the street towards the shoe boutique. He moved alongside Reid trying to think of something to say to change the tenor of the conversation.

"Sometimes it's easy to forget, kid. She makes it easy because she hides it way down deep. As long as you are willing to see both sides of the coin, you'll be able to deal with either day as it comes along."

Spencer lowered his sunglasses from his head down over his eyes and looked ahead into the sun. "I don't want easy. I want her..." he said, not looking at Morgan.

"Crazy girl..." Morgan said with a laugh, using Reid's pet name for his sister.

This time Reid did look over and grinned. "Yeah, something like that..."

"Well, I think you have her," Derek teased as they reached the front of the shop.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Scarlett looked over as the little bell rang as Reid and her brother walked into the boutique. She stood up and modeled a pair of thigh high stiletto leather boots.

"What do you think, boys?" she winked at Penelope as she moved closer to the entrance.

"I think you'll kill your feet trying to dance in those," Morgan said shaking his head.

She pursed her lips and pretended to consider his point. "You may be right, but it may be worth the pain... they are kinda sexy..." she looked over to Spencer.

Reid watched the mischief glimmer in her eyes. He moved closer to her and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I think you're feet are sexy no matter what shoes they are in," he whispered quietly in her ear.

Scarlett laughed and leaned her shoulder into his chest. "Good, then, because these are a bit out of my budget," she said with a wink. She turned her thigh to the side so he could see the little price tag hanging off the zipper that read a number over a thousand.

Spencer raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, I prefer you bare foot..." he said, not noticing as Sarah slid up beside him. When she giggled, he jumped a bit, nervously.

"As long as you don't finish that sentence with 'and pregnant', I won't have a problem..." she teased her sister's new beau. Reid felt his face heat in embarrassment.

Scarlett tucked herself under his arm. "Naw, Sarah, Spence isn't like that..." she looked up to meet his eyes.

"So, you're not getting them?" Sarah asked.

"No, not hardly..." Scarlett said moving over to take off the boots. "I just was trying them on to see how they looked."

Desi was trying on another pair of heels next to her. "Well, I am getting these. I deserve to pamper myself now and then," she said to her sisters.

"I agree," Garcia said, putting two boxes onto the counter. "I am adding these to my collection at home," she laughed.

Scarlett shook her head. "Penny, your closet has more shoes than this whole store already," she teased.

Derek had stepped up to where they were all gathered. "Are you ladies almost done here?" he asked, holding up his phone. "Mom just called and there has been a change in dinner plans..."

Desi placed her shoes on the counter next to Penelope's. "I'm done," she said looking at the others who nodded agreement. "What changed?" she asked her brother.

Morgan looked over to Reid and Scarlett. "Mom wants everyone home tonight for a home cooked dinner. She already cooked and said there was to be no argument," he smiled.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "No wonder why she wouldn't come shopping. She probably had this planned ever since she heard you all were coming in today..."

"I told her that we were treating her to dinner tonight," Desi frowned.

Derek shrugged. "You know your mother," he stated. "When she says no argument, you better not argue."

"I'm sure she's been in her glory all day, fussing around the kitchen, knowing we'd all be there..." Scarlett added, packing the boots back away in their box.

"What time did she say dinner would be ready?" Desiree asked, pulling out her phone. "I'll have to tell James to have the kids ready..."

"They are already there," Morgan told her. "The kids are chopping vegetables for her as we speak. We probably should have stayed back with James," he said to Reid. "We could've been relaxing at Mom's all afternoon," he teased. "If you are done buying everything in sight, we are supposed to head there now..."

"And miss out on all the fun?" Scarlett said, putting her arm around Spencer's waist and tucking her hand into his back pocket.

Derek snorted. "This is not my idea of fun, little one," he stated. "Sitting at Mom's, relaxing with a beer and a game on the t.v. is..."

Spencer took Scarlett's bags from her and held open the door as they headed back to where they parked Desi's SUV.

"Where did you find him Scarlett? And can I have one just like him?" Sarah asked joking about Reid's attentiveness.

"Mmm, sorry sis, I think he's a one of a kind..." Scarlett shook her head as she and Sarah moved through the doorway. She threw a smile back over her shoulder at Spencer.

"It figures," she sighed. Morgan reached Desi's car and opened the door for Penelope. Sarah looked over to Scarlett. "At least his chivalry rubs off on the men around him though," she teased.

"Hey, I have always been chivalrous," Derek stated, feigning irritation. He popped open the trunk as Spencer stored the bags inside the vehicle.

"Well, maybe a bit," Desi agreed. "But it does show a bit more when Spencer's around to remind you," she joked as she watched Reid open the car door for Scarlett and Sarah.

Derek held open the other door for his sister. "You have to give Mom some of the credit, Des..." he laughed, taking her keys from her as he moved to the driver's side. "Or else she's going to be pissed..."

Desiree rolled her eyes. "Leave it to you, baby brother, to threaten to tell Mom on me," she laughed.

Morgan joined in her laughter and headed the SUV towards his childhood home.

Sarah was reading her text messages and Scarlett heard her groan. She cocked her head to the sound.

"What's wrong?" she asked quizzically.

Sarah threw a look to Desi. "Another slight change of plans..." she watched as her older sister scowled.

"What now?" Desi frowned.

"Tomorrow night," Sarah said passing her phone over to let Desi read the message.

When Scarlett saw Desi roll her eyes, she frowned. "What is it already?" she asked becoming irritated.

Morgan noticed the quick look that his sisters gave each other. "Spill it..." he told them.

Sarah sighed. "We told Coop and Charlotte to pass the word on for the others to meet up with us at the Rox tomorrow night, and that you and Scarlett were going to be there," she said.

"You should have called Remy and Carrie yourself," Desi admonished.

"Apparently," Sarah retorted. "Any way, Cooper told them at work, and now it seems that Dave is bringing Joe, Cathy and Brian along..."

Spencer watched as Scarlett's eyes narrowed. He looked over at Morgan to see the expression mirrored in his face.

"Is this a problem?" Penelope asked, also seeing the agitation crossing her friends' faces. "Isn't it 'the more the merrier'?"

Derek looked over to Garcia. "Joe and Brian aren't really friends of ours," he clarified for her and Reid's benefit.

Scarlett snorted loudly. "Joe is just an ass, I can deal with an ass," she complained. "It's Brian..." she met Derek's eyes in the mirror.

"Brian isn't worth even thinking about, little one..." he told her.

"What's the problem with this Brian?" Reid wanted to know. He didn't like the dark scowl that was now covering Scarlett's face.

Derek sighed. "Brian is a narcissist who thinks Scarlett has a thing for him..." he gave his sister a weak smile as her frown deepened. "It'll be fine Katy, don't let him ruin your plans..."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "He doesn't even matter, it's just the annoyance of him inviting himself along... Geez, what does a girl have to do to prove to a guy that he's just not even welcome? I have never even talked to this guy more than a handful of times," she told Spencer. "He's like a tick, I can't remove him. Everywhere I used to go, he'd show up. John and Cooper even escorted him out of one party we'd gone to when he showed up uninvited..." she shook her head.

Reid looked from Scarlett over to Morgan. "Is he a stalker?" he asked in concern.

Morgan knew that label would bring a fear for Scarlett's safety in his friend's mind. "No, nothing like that," he told Spencer. "He just has always been a hang around, and for some reason got this idea in his head that Scarlett was into him. He got pretty obnoxious for awhile after John was killed, bugging her and shit... but not stalking..." he told him.

"Obnoxious?" Sarah scoffed. "That's putting it nicely..."

Derek threw her a look. "Did I miss something? Scarlett..." he looked back at her again. "Was he stalking you?"

Scarlett huffed. She didn't want to call Brian a stalker, because she knew Reid would automatically think of Maeve and what happened in her situation. "No," she told Morgan firmly. "World class pain in my ass, yes, but not a stalker. He showed up once or twice at my apartment, pretending to be a friend, but he left both times when I told him to go..."

Spencer worried when he saw Desi and Sarah exchange a look between themselves. There was definitely something Scarlett wasn't saying. He didn't say anything more about it, but resolved to ask her about it later, when they got back to their hotel room. If this person was going to be a problem, he wanted to know about it beforehand. Besides, they were pulling into the driveway of the Morgan's family home and he didn't want to start a discussion about it now.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Derek had no sooner put the car into park when the front door of the house flew open and two young boys spilled out into the yard, scrabbling over each other like puppies.

"Anthony, Jacob, give your aunt and uncle a chance to get in the house!" Spencer recognized Morgan's mother as she followed the boys out the door. Her red hair was tied back in a similar style to Scarlett's and her face was brightened in a smile as she watched her family coming home.

Scarlett hopped out of the car, grabbing up one of the boys under her arm and flipped him up over her shoulder, tickling him.

"Aunt Katy! Aunt Katy, me now!" the younger boy hollered.

"Okay, Jake, gimme a sec..." Scarlett laughed as she grabbed him up on the other arm and handed Anthony off to Derek. She nuzzled him until he started to laugh and held him upside down.

"Hi, Mama! I'm home!" she called out with a laugh as she tried to disconnect herself from the boys.

"So the whole neighborhood knows now," the older woman laughed as her grandchildren now scampered back inside the house behind her. She waited on the porch for her family to move inside. Sarah and Desi scooted past, kissing her cheek and going inside to check on the kids. Derek walked up beside Penelope.

"Hi, Ma," he said leaning down to give her a kiss. "You miss me much?" he teased.

"Of course," she admonished. "Things are too quiet around here when you stay away for so long," she smiled and patted his face lightly. "My baby boy..." she hugged him close for a moment before looking over to Garcia. She moved to include her into the hug.

"Penny, I've missed you too, sweetheart," she told her lightly. "Are you keeping him out of trouble?" she asked.

"I'm trying, but he's not always cooperative," Penelope joked, poking Morgan in the ribs.

Frannie looked over her shoulder as Scarlett came up onto the porch holding hands with Spencer. She recognized Dr. Reid from his earlier visits with Derek and saw him duck his face and blush when he noticed her watching him.

"Well, hello you..." she said as she grabbed Scarlett into her arms. She felt her youngest daughter's arms wrap around her and hold her tightly.

Scarlett buried her face into her mother's neck and breathed in deeply. "You feel like home," she said quietly. "I've missed you so much..."

Frannie pulled back a little and looked into Scarlett's eyes. "Then you shouldn't stay away for so long," she told her and kissed her cheeks. "My baby girl..." she gave a teary smile and wiped some lipstick off Scarlett's cheek.

Scarlett smiled and reached back for Spencer's hand. He moved forward when she tugged on it a bit and gave a sheepish smile.

"Mama, you remember Spencer Reid," she said by way of introduction.

"Of course," Frannie told her, watching as Scarlett moved to put her arm around his waist. "Dr. Reid..." she saw him blush again.

"Just Spencer, Mrs. Morgan," he said in his quiet voice.

She quirked an eyebrow at him in a way that looked so Scarlett-esque that Reid grinned.

"Then you better start calling me Fran," she told him. When she reached over to give him a quick hug, he surprised her by stepping into the embrace. Frannie couldn't even ever remember him allowing so much as a handshake on previous visits. Maybe Scarlett was rubbing off on him, too. She smiled warmly as she pulled back from the embrace.

Scarlett tugged on Reid's arm, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house. "C'mon, I want to introduce you to the boys..."

Frannie watched as she followed them into the living room. The small home was filled with laughter as Derek was talking about something with Desi's husband, Tony and the boys were wrestling on the floor.

Tony stood up when he saw Scarlett and grabbed her into a bear hug. "Hey little red bird!" he teased. "Where'd you fly in from?"

"Far enough away that I haven't heard that in awhile," she laughed and kissed her brother in law's cheek.

When he dropped her to her feet, Scarlett pulled Reid forward again. "Tony, this is Spencer..."

"Reid, right... I remember you from last year's cook out," he said with a smile. "You have the Cubs stats memorized," he laughed. "I wouldn't forget something like that..."

The younger Anthony turned at that. "You know the stats in your head?" he asked in awe.

Spencer grinned. Sometimes having an eidetic memory came in handy to break the ice. "Yeah... I know them right up until this season..."

"Wow," the little boy's eyes rounded. "For all the players?"

This time Scarlett grinned. She winked at Spencer and Tony as she said to Anthony, "He knows all the players stats for all the _years_ and I bet a ton of trivia too..."

"No kidding?" the little boy said in awe.

"No kidding," Scarlett laughed. She leaned down and put her arm around the boy. "He's even smarter than me," she said in a conspiratorial whisper.

"No way," little Jacob joined in, looking from Scarlett to Reid. "My Auntie is a super-hero, she's got magic powers in her brain. She can remember everything!" the little boy gushed and held onto her arm. "Right Aunt Katy... what story did we read last time you tucked us in?"

Scarlett laughed. "We read 'All about Dinosaurs' and your favorite was the pterodactyl," she made a noise to sound like a dino-bird, and Jacob squealed in laughter. "And you spilled your chocolate milk and your mom got mad at me for giving it to you in your bedroom," she teased. Jacob hugged her around the neck.

"See," he said to Spencer, "she remembers everything!" the boy tucked himself against Scarlett's side and watched Reid carefully. "Are you a super hero too?"

Spencer laughed. "No, not hardly..."

Scarlett cocked her head to the side. "Yes, he is... he just tries to hide it 'cuz he doesn't like the attention," she told the boys.

"Like Clark Kent? No, he was from another planet," Anthony looked at Reid. "You aren't from another planet are you?"

Derek laughed. "Sometimes we think so," he teased, poking Reid in the arm.

"Uncle Derek is like the Hulk, cuz when he gets mad he smashes things," Jacob added into the conversation and Penelope giggled.

"Pretty fitting," she teased.

"So, super heroes, are you all ready to eat? Dinner is ready..." Desi came into the living room to gather everyone together.

"I'm starving," Morgan moved from the couch and they all followed him into the dining room.

Reid waited back a few steps and Scarlett moved next to him.

"So you are all super-hero's huh?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it's something the boys made up to explain to themselves why we are gone for so long. We fight bad guys, so to them we are super heroes. Now you are too," she teased.

Spencer laughed. "That's a farther stretch than farm boy," he said.

"Mmm, maybe to you, but you don't see you like I do," she stated. She took his hand and they walked into the dining room.

Spencer lowered his voice a little and whispered into her ear. "That pedestal request goes both ways, Scarlett, okay?"

She smiled. "Okay, fine, no pedestals for either of us, farm boy... now let's gather in the chaos," she joked.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Spencer tried to keep up with the conversations flowing around the table, but gave up after a while. There was just too much going on at once. He noticed Scarlett seemed to have no problem, jumping from one to the other with ease. He smiled when he noticed Jacob watching his aunt intently. When she seemed to be distracted, the boy slipped a pile of green beans from his plate onto hers.

Scarlett didn't miss the movement. She looked over at Desi and Tony, who weren't paying attention, slid only half the beans back onto the boy's plate and winked at her nephew. She ate the extra beans herself so he wouldn't get in trouble for not eating his vegetables.

Jake smiled at her and then saw Reid watching them. He giggled and put a finger to his lips to ask Spencer to keep the secret. Spencer smiled and nodded slightly, letting the boy know he would.

After dinner was finished, Scarlett started clearing the table. She gave Spencer a nudge when he stood to help.

"You don't have to help, farm boy," she told him.

Reid shrugged. "I'd rather," he responded. He looked back at the crowded table balefully.

"Too much for you, sweetie?" she asked.

"No, just different. If you're going to clean up, I'll tag along..."

Sarah came up behind them. "You two can rinse and load then," she told them, pushing them off towards the kitchen. "We'll clear... and Mom will sit," she ordered as Fran stood to help. "Rules haven't changed, Mom- you cooked, you don't clean..."

Desi set a pot of coffee on the middle of the table and Derek grabbed some mugs in the cupboard.

"Derek, sit..." Fran told him. "I want to talk to you and Penelope," she said quietly, watching Scarlett as she moved over to the sink, Spencer not far behind her.

Frannie stirred her coffee a bit waiting as the others cleared out of the room. Derek saw his mother's eyes following Scarlett. He looked over at Penelope and shrugged.

"She's fine, Ma..." he said gently, breaking into her thoughts.

"She seems to be," Fran agreed. "But we both know how she can put on that mask," she added. She watched as Scarlett filled the sink with soapy water and blew a handful of bubbles at Reid. When he grabbed them and placed them on her nose with a laugh, she turned and looked back at her son.

"He's good for her, isn't he?" she asked.

"Very," Derek stated.

She shook her head. "I would have never put the two of them together," she smiled softly. "I'd've never thought they'd mesh, I guess that was my bad," she said.

"Things aren't always as we think they seem," Penelope stated. "Reid isn't as quiet as you may think. He's just not real good in large gatherings. But on his own, with just us or him and Scarlett, the real Reid comes out. He's brilliant and funny and all kinds of warm and fuzzy with her..."

"I didn't think she'd accept warm and fuzzy as an option," Frannie winked.

"I'd never thought I'd see Reid being warm and fuzzy," Derek added. "It's a different side to him too..."

"Are they living together?" Fran asked her son.

"No, why?"

She nodded towards the kitchen where Scarlett was rinsing the dishes and handing them off to Spencer to load in the dishwasher. Morgan watched as Reid nudged her with his hip and she leaned into him for a quick kiss.

"They move together like a couple who's been living together..." Frannie stated. "I can remember your father and I acting like that," she smiled.

Penelope looked over at the couple and then back to Frannie. "They live in the same building, but I haven't heard Scarlett say anything about them living together..."

Derek grinned. "You are going to have to go straight to the source for that answer," he told his mom.

Spencer moved around behind Scarlett to put a pan into the dishwater and nuzzled his face into her neck before stepping back. They heard Scarlett giggle as she swatted at him with a towel.

"Mmm. I think I already know, but I'll ask anyway, just to be nosy," she said.

Scarlett nudged Reid back again when he moved behind her and put his hands at her waist.

"What is up with you farm boy?" she teased. "You're awfully affectionate today, not that I am complaining..." she turned to face him and wrapped her arms up around his neck.

Spencer leaned down and kissed her lightly. "I don't know. I'm just happy... and I want to kiss you," he smiled and kissed her again.

"Mmm. Then kiss me again, sweetie, before I tell you something," she grinned.

Reid moved closer. "What?" he asked kissing her lips lightly.

"My mom is watching us," she said with a wink.

Spencer rolled his eyes. "For how long?"

"The whole time," she said with a shrug. "She's smiling though, so I don't think you are in any trouble," she teased and stood up on her toes to kiss him once more. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair, pushing it back off his face and leaned against his chest.

"I love you, Spence," she said quietly. She felt him pull her closer for a moment before releasing her waist.

"I love you too, crazy girl..." he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Enough to withstand the family chaos?" she asked.

"I don't mind it, really. I love to see big family gatherings. I just don't know how to fit into it real well..."

"It grows on you, sweetie," she told him. She tossed the dishrag aside. "Let's go sit and have some coffee with Mom," she told him. "From the look on her face, she's got a million questions she wants to ask."

Reid's face heated. Scarlett ran her hand along his cheek. "My sweet shy farm boy," she grinned.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Scarlett poured herself and Spencer a cup of coffee and took a seat beside her mother.

"Dinner was as wonderful as always, Mama," she said as she leaned over and dropped a quick kiss to Frannie's hair. When she sat down, Fran reached over and rested a hand on her arm.

"Thank you for doing the dishes, Katy, Spencer," she acknowledged as she gave her youngest daughter's arm a quick squeeze.

"It really was nothing compared to the meal, Mrs... um, Fran," Spencer caught himself. Frannie met his eyes and grinned.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she told him. "I'm told none of you get many home-cooked dinners," she remarked, looking over at Derek.

"Not often enough," Morgan agreed. "But Rossi has us over for Italian whenever we can squeeze in the time..."

Frannie looked over at Scarlett. "And you? Have you been cooking lately?"

Scarlett grinned. "Ma, my cooking is still strictly microwave meals, sorry..."

"You're going to kill yourself with that fake food," she admonished. "I've shown you how to make several meals, Katy. You can't say you don't know how..."

"I just never find the time. If I remember to eat, I grab something quick," Scarlett shrugged.

"I have to remind her half the time," Spencer stated offhand as he stirred more sugar into his mug. Frannie sighed.

"Katy Scarlett, I've warned you about staying healthy. You can't keep 'forgetting' to eat. You burn way too many calories in your job," Fran scowled at her.

"I know, Mama, I just can't help it. Too many things running around up here," she tapped her head.

"Well at least Spencer has some common sense," she said looking over at the man sitting next to her daughter.

"Spence cooks. He's always pushing food on me," Scarlett teased and poked him.

"If you would eat enough for a bird to survive on, I wouldn't worry so much," he told her, throwing a grin over at her. "You would live on french fries, if I let you."

"Mmm, well, yeah, but potatoes are a vegetable," she countered.

"Don't let Jakey hear you say that, he'd insist on only fries instead of green beans," Fran said looking back to Scarlett. "By the way, I did not miss that you ate his for him tonight, Scarlett..." she gave her a narrowed look. "That boy needs to eat his own vegetables too."

Scarlett blushed slightly. "Sorry, but I gave him back half of them and he did eat them, I made sure of it. I remember how much I hated having to eat the yucky stuff before dessert," she said sheepishly.

"But yet you ate a double portion tonight..." Penelope threw in with a grin. "So there's hope for Jake yet."

"Yeah, once he has a nephew to cover for," Derek laughed.

"Good thing you don't have a dog," Spencer said to Fran.

She laughed. "No, I don't but Desi and Tony do. A very fat dog..."

Spencer grinned. "I don't think a dog would get over-weight on just vegetables," he stated.

Scarlett giggled. "No, Desi's cooking is terrible," she teased.

"Shush," Frannie said with a laugh and slapped at Scarlett's arm. "She tries her best. You, however, don't have any good excuse for not cooking, my dear," she looked over to Spencer. "Scarlett is an excellent cook. I think it'd be nice if you'd cook a real dinner once in a while, baby girl. If your friends have a dinner night, you could offer one also."

Scarlett sighed. "Maybe... we'll see. I hate fussing..."

"I'd help, you know that," Spencer said.

Scarlett arched a brow at him. "You want to have the team over for dinner, pretty boy?"

"I wouldn't mind," he shrugged, slightly embarrassed at her calling him that in front of her mother. "I enjoy having everyone get together..."

Frannie watched as Scarlett reached over and took his hand in hers.

She laced her fingers through his. "Then we'll plan on something..." she told him.

Derek grinned at Penelope. "That could be interesting."

"I'll help too," Garcia added.

Frannie used this opportunity to ask the question she'd wanted to bring up. "So, you two are living together?" she asked subtly.

Scarlett looked over at Spencer and Fran didn't miss the look they traded.

"Um, no," Scarlett stated, avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Not technically," Spencer said at the same time.

Fran looked at him. "How do you 'not technically' live together?" she asked, biting back a grin when Reid blushed.

Spencer looked to Scarlett with an expression that clearly read 'help'. Scarlett laughed.

"We live in the same building, Mama. So we spend whatever time we have split between his place or mine..." she gave his hand a squeeze, letting him know he hadn't dropped any huge secret.

Fran poured herself another cup of coffee. "I see," she said.

Scarlett sighed. "Ma..."

"What? I'm not allowed to ask?" she looked over at Scarlett.

"We aren't living together..." Scarlett said again. She rolled her eyes. "I would have told you if I had made any big move like that... you know I would have."

"I would hope so," Frannie said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You know I would..." Scarlett frowned. "I never kept any secrets from you. I won't start now..."

"I know baby," she said with a sad smile. "I didn't mean it like that. It just seems like since you moved away, we don't get much time to talk. I just don't want to miss something."

Scarlett reached over and hugged her mother. "I promise, Mama, I won't let you miss anything," she said.

"I miss you, sweetie. I miss seeing you every day," she sighed. "And I'm sorry for being so maudlin," she apologized and reached over and gave Scarlett a hug. "I didn't mean to get into a pity party..."

Scarlett held her a moment longer. "I'm sorry that I have made you feel left out," she said and Reid saw her swipe at her eyes behind her mother's back.

Fran sighed and hugged Scarlett tightly. "I wish you would've chosen a nice safe career closer to home," she said as she pulled back and looked into Scarlett's eyes. "I worry about your brother and you every day..."

"I know, Mama," Scarlett closed her eyes and hugged her again. "I know..."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Reid watched Scarlett as she sat on the floor playing a board game with her nephews. Ever since her conversation with her mother after dinner, there was a sadness in her eyes. Even now, it lingered as she laughed and teased with the boys. The conversations flowed around him but he wasn't paying attention to anyone but Scarlett.

Frannie noticed how Spencer's eyes followed Scarlett. She smiled and looked over at Derek.

"He watches over her, doesn't he," she asked her son, inclining her head towards Reid slightly.

"All the time, Mom. He worries almost as much as you do," he teased her.

"I didn't think that could be possible," she laughed.

"You don't know Reid like I do..." he stated. "He adores her, Mom. And she loves him," Derek shook his head. "It's like they speak their own language or read each other's minds," he half-joked.

Frannie smiled at that. "I'm glad she's working with you, Derek. I know you watch over her too," she said as she reached over and took his hand. "She needs watching over..."

Derek sighed and shifted closer to his mothers' side. "Ma, what is going on? I know you worry about all of us, but this is unusual, even for you..."

Frannie stiffened. "I'm just worried about your sister, Derek. She's far away from home, making a lot of big changes in a short amount of time... so I am worried about her. I'm entitled," she stated with a frown.

"Ma... come on, this is me you are talking to. Even you don't worry this much," he tried joking with her.

Fran looked over to Scarlett again. She stood up and tapped Derek's shoulder, indicating that he follow her to the kitchen.

"Anyone want more coffee?" she asked as she moved to go into the other room. She picked up the pot on the pretense of making more.

Derek followed her, taking up some of the mugs scattered around. Once they were inside the adjoining room, he stopped her.

"Okay, now tell me, what is bothering you?" he asked.

"He called me, Derek..." she said quietly, as she leaned against the counter top before her. "That bastard called me wanting to know if he could see her..."

Morgan stood back for a second, processing what his mother was saying.

"Wait... what?" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Rowan, Derek... he called the house about a week ago. He spewed some nonsense about finding God and wanted to see Scarlett to make amends..."

"Mom, Jesus!" Morgan scrubbed his hands across his face. "Why didn't you call me right away? What if he came here?!"

Frannie frowned darkly. "I am telling you now, because you are here, now. I knew you both would come for this weekend. I didn't want you going off half-cocked..."

"We could've tracked him down..."

"And done what, exactly, Derek? Worried? Followed him, hunted him down? The police can't touch him now, the statute of limitations is up on anything he did to Scarlett, so what exactly would you have done?" she argued in a hushed voice.

Morgan turned away and gripped the counter top until he got his emotions under tighter control.

"So he is in the area?" he asked.

"I don't know where he is, Derek. I didn't tell him anything other than she doesn't live here and he wasn't welcome and I hung up on him..."

"What if he showed up here?" Morgan asked again.

"Then I would have called the police, your brother in law, and you. But he didn't..."

"That you know of... Mom, people like him, they don't just go away..."

"Derek..." she warned him about the tone of voice he was taking with her.

"Christ..." he rolled his eyes. "Sorry..."

"I know you are angry, I am too. I don't want Scarlett to know. Derek, I don't want her to find out that he's looking for her..."

Morgan nodded. It was better if Scarlett didn't know for now. "I have to tell Reid," he said. When Fran opened her mouth to argue he interrupted her. "She already told him, Ma. Reid already knows her history. She told him the whole thing..."

"She told him?"

Morgan nodded grimly. "Reid said she went into a flashback..."

Frannie leaned back against the counter and covered her face. "I don't know if she can handle this, Derek. She's been so strong for so long, but this? If he touches her life again..."

"He's not. I'm going to tell Reid and I'm going to get Garcia on it. She'll find the bastard..."

"And then what? What can we do?"

"We'll watch him. We'll make sure he never gets near her..."

Frannie sighed. "When are you going to tell Spencer?" she asked.

"Tell me what?"

They both looked up at his voice. Reid had carried in some of the coffee mugs from the living room. He noticed almost immediately that the tenor in this conversation was changed against the light-hearted conversations in the other room. He set the cups down and looked at Morgan.

"What's wrong..." he asked watching his friend's tight anger. "Something happened..." he stated, immediately going on guard. "What's wrong," he asked again, his own voice dropping.

Frannie watched as Spencer changed from the quiet and somewhat awkward young man that she'd seen all night, into a profiler with years of experience before her eyes. Even his stance had changed as he stepped up to her son; suddenly, he looked like an equal instead of a kid as Derek always teased him to be. She realized in that moment she was seeing the real Spencer Reid. She felt a bit of relief, knowing this man was watching over her daughter.

"What. Happened." Reid said as he stood before Derek. His face was tightly held mask of rage and fear. "It's something to do with Scarlett... Tell me. Now," he bit out as he threw a glance at the door. "She'll come looking for me shortly," he said to his friend.

Morgan looked towards the door, also. "Ian Rowan," he said in a muted voice. "Mom just told me he called here last week, looking to talk to Scarlett..."he watched as Reid's eyes showed a moment's pain before anger pushed through.

"For what reason?" he asked.

Frannie moved to stand before Reid. She looked up into eyes that told her he would do anything to protect Scarlett. She sighed and wiped at tears that formed in her own.

"He said he is a changed man. He said he had found God and wants to make amends to Scarlett..."

"Bullshit," Derek growled out. Reid looked from him to Frannie.

"Did you believe him?" Reid asked.

Frannie's eyes widened and she scoffed. "Not for a second," she told him honestly. "I told him that she doesn't live here and that he isn't welcome, and hung up on him..." she repeated her earlier statement to her son.

"So he knows her family is still here," Spencer stated, looking to Derek. "Her connections are still here..."

"I know, kid. I already thought of that..."

"Garcia can find out where he was calling from... when did he call?" Reid turned and quickly looked back at Fran. "Do you remember when he called exactly?"

She moved over to her phone. She scrolled through the display. "Wednesday, at four fifteen," she told them. "I saved the number..."

Morgan quickly handed the phone over to Reid so he could read the information. "Got it?" he asked.

When Reid only nodded, he turned slightly to see Scarlett coming through the doorway with Penelope.

"What's going on in here?" she asked with a grin. "Meeting of the minds?" Scarlett moved over to where Spencer was standing and felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her close.

Behind her back, he met Derek and Fran's eyes quickly in understanding that nothing was to be discussed in front of her. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent to calm himself.

Spencer set the phone down on the counter behind her. She caught the movement and looked over at Morgan then to her mother. She saw something quickly in her face and turned to look at Spencer.

"Seriously, what's going on?" she asked, picking up on her mother's stress.

Reid dropped a kiss to her forehead. "Nothing, crazy girl. Your mom got a strange phone call, so we were just talking about it. Morgan wanted Garcia to trace the number..." he shrugged. "I just think he's being a bit over protective."

Frannie smiled. "He usually is," she laughed.

"I'd be happy to look it up for you," Penelope said. "Probably just some scam..."

"That's what I said..." Frannie agreed. "You know, the ones where they try to get you to send money and end up calling from jail? That's what Derek wants to check..."

Scarlett looked between them and shrugged. "Okay..." she met Spencer's eyes again. "I guess I'll believe that for now, since you all want me to..." she huffed a bit and moved over to grab a soda from the fridge. When she turned back, she looked at him once more. "We'll talk more later, _Reid_," she told him with a narrowed look. He winced.

"Shit," Spencer exhaled the word as Scarlett left the kitchen.

"Now what?" Frannie asked looking between the two men.

"What did I miss?" Penelope asked Morgan.

"I'll explain in a minute baby girl," he said. He looked over at Spencer. "You're gonna get some heat on this kid..."

"I'd rather take that than have her upset," Spencer said quietly. He thought for a moment. "What about this Brian- tell me what's going on about that. I know there is more than Scarlett's let on, I'll tell her that's what we were talking about..."

Derek looked over at his mother. "McGowan- what happened that I missed... she did get evasive after Sarah said he invited himself along tomorrow night..."

Frannie frowned. "I know he wouldn't leave her alone for awhile after John passed. He showed up at her apartment. She called Cooper and they fought once, but that's really all I know..."

Morgan rolled his eyes. "It's more than she told me..."

Penelope cringed at his tone. "All I know is she told him to leave and she called Cooper after he showed up the second night. He said he was just trying to look out for her, since John wasn't around anymore. Coop told him not to worry about her, that he had her covered... Brian didn't like that and took a swing at him. She started staying here not long after that..."

"So he was stalking her..." Reid tensed. "Enough that she moved..."

Frannie sighed. "I don't think so, Spencer. She couldn't stand being in that apartment after- she moved here because she said she couldn't live with the ghosts there."

Spencer remembered Scarlett saying something similar. He blew out a breath.

"I'm going to go find Scarlett..." he said heading out of the room.

"I'll fill Garcia in..." Morgan told him.

Reid nodded and went to look for Scarlett.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Scarlett pushed open the door to the hotel room. They'd managed to say their good nights and made promises to meet up in the morning all before ten and yet she felt exhausted. Since she'd walked into the kitchen on her mother, brother and Spencer's conversation, she felt as though something was not right. And it didn't help that he seemed lost in his own thoughts now. She turned as he stood behind her, his hands jammed into his pockets.

"Jesus, Spence, I'm not going to bite your head off," she told him as she rolled her eyes.

When he only shrugged, she turned her back on him and closed her eyes. He waited for about a heartbeat before moving to stand before her. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached to push some of her hair off her face. As his fingers skimmed across her cheek, she kissed his wrist and pulled him closer.

"I thought you were mad," he said quietly as he lay his cheek against her hair.

"I am..." she countered but hugged him tighter. "I don't like being talked about behind my back," she told him.

She felt him sigh even as he kissed her forehead. "Nobody was talking about you, Scarlett. Not directly," he amended.

"Then what was that all about," she asked.

"I asked Morgan what the story was about Brian," he said. "I wanted to know. I could tell you weren't saying everything..."

Scarlett pulled back a bit from his embrace. "You could have just asked me. I figured you would, later. I won't ever lie to you Spence," she told him.

"I know, but you do downplay things," he told her.

"And you are afraid that Brian is a stalker..." she sighed. "He's not, sweetie. He's just an ass who doesn't like to hear 'no' for an answer."

"Did you move in with your mom to get away from him?" he asked.

Scarlett laughed. "No, farm boy. Most everything I owned was already packed before he ever showed up at my door... I moved back home for me, not because I was afraid of anybody."

"And the night you had to call Cooper?" he watched her face.

"You didn't hear that from Morgan," she cocked her head to the side. "I didn't talk to Morgan about that..."

"No, Penelope added that part..."

"Mmm-hmm. Okay..." she gave him a stilted look.

"What?"

Scarlett moved away from him a bit, going over to her bag. She pulled her clothes out, thinking something through in her head.

Spencer tensed at her silence. "Scarlett, please..."

"What?" she asked and heard him sigh again as he sat down on the chair beside him. She stopped and went over to stand before him. She tucked her hand under his chin to bring his eyes up from staring at his shoes. When he looked up at her she saw something there, something that told her he was worried or frightened, and it scared her.

Scarlett pushed him back into the chair further and settled her legs on the outside of each of his until she was pinning him into the seat with her body. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly and his hands moved to hold her around her waist.

Spencer pulled her closer returning the kiss lightly at first, then deepened it as the taste of her mouth intoxicated him. He took his hands and ran them along her back, pulling her tightly against him. He felt her fingers run through his hair to the back of his neck, holding his head angled back as she nipped at his lips. His heart sped up.

She smiled against his mouth, teasing him with small kisses and her tongue. When he arched against her and moaned, she smiled.

"Spencer, darling, what has you so tense?" she asked in a soft voice, kneading her fingers against the muscles along his neck. "Please... don't tell me you are upset over Brian. First, he's not worth it, second, my mother wouldn't have had that look on her face over him... So I know that's not what you were talking about before Penny and I came into the kitchen..."

She lightly traced the cord along his neck with her thumbs and watched his face as he closed his eyes.

"Scarlett, stop... I told you. Your mom got a phone call that worried her..."

"Mmm," she leaned forward and lightly bit his bottom lip.

Spencer kissed her again, his hands moving up under the back of her shirt, stroking her soft skin. He straightened in the chair so her body was pressed against his. He could feel her heart pounding along his chest as she cuddled against him.

She pulled her face back just a few inches from his and he saw her impish smile. She traced a finger down his neck and collarbone and grinned when he shivered.

"You know," she said softly, "my Mom always taught us that a lie of omission was still a lie," she teased. His eyes flew open and met hers. She saw a hint of anger there.

"I will never lie to you Scarlett..." he said tightly.

She bit at her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I know. But clearly you would omit things..."

"I'm not lying," he stated, becoming more tense.

"...to try and protect me from something," she finished. She cocked her head to the side watching him.

"So the question I need to ask myself is, what would have my mother, you and Derek in a confab in the kitchen, behind my back..."

He squirmed under her and she grinned again as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly.

"Scarlett, please..."

"Something that you'd need Penelope to track, something that you don't want me to worry about..."

Spencer wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as he watched something click in her brain. "Scarlett, please..." he begged again.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"No..." she breathed out, her entire body tensing in his arms. "No, please..." she turned her eyes to meet his and he saw the fear.

"Fuck..." he breathed out, holding her close. "Scarlett... stop..." as he felt her begin to shake.

"Where? When?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"No..." he told her and held her tighter when she tried to pull away. "Stop it Scarlett... stop now," he said, giving her a little shake.

"He was here, he went to my home?" she cried out looking at him for confirmation to her fears.

"No... no!" Spencer took her face in his hands, making her look at him. "No, Scarlett, he wasn't near your family..."

She stuttered out a breath. "He called... he spoke to my mother..."

"Jesus..." he held her tighter as she shifted again. "Scarlett, yes. Just a phone call, nothing more... It will be okay..."

Scarlett couldn't stop the shaking that took over her body. "He spoke to my _Mother_, Spence... he knows she's still there..."

Spencer ran his hands along her body, trying to stop her from shivering. He pulled her against him and held her tight.

"Just one call, Scarlett. Just briefly. She hung up on him... nothing more," he tried to downplay the situation for her mind.

"Derek... I need my brother," she tried to pull out of his arms and he held her tight.

"I'll call him over," Spencer told her, tugging her back again. "Stay put," he told her as he pulled out his phone. "Stay with me, Scarlett..." he asked. "Please..."

When she nodded and curled up against his chest, he dialed Morgan's number.

"She figured it out. Yeah, that's what I said. She wants to see you... Right," Reid hung up the phone as Scarlett listened to the one sided conversation. Within seconds there was a knock on the door. Spencer shifted her slightly and moved her into the chair.

"Stay..." he told her, afraid she'd run. When she just nodded, he moved to open the door.

Morgan came in with Penelope not far behind. He moved towards her even as she launched herself off the chair and into his arms.

"It's okay, little one... It's okay..." he held her tightly, "He can't get near you, baby girl, I promise..."

Derek gave Reid a pained look. "I should've realized she'd figure it out..."

Spencer shrugged. He watched Scarlett as she buried her face into Morgan's neck. He felt a twinge of jealousy that he quickly tamped down. Morgan was the one who saved her from her father the last time, it made sense that she'd turn to him now, he reminded himself.

"I feel like I can't breathe D," she said weakly. "I can't even think straight," she shook in his arms.

"It'll be alright, sweetie," Penelope's soft voice crooned as she moved closer to her friend. "Derek and Spencer will protect you honey, and I'll find out the bastard's every move... You'll always be two steps ahead of him, I promise..." she rubbed her hand over her back.

Scarlett reached over and pulled Garcia into her hug. "I'm scared, Pens... I can't help it," she caught herself as a sob broke out in her voice.

Reid paced along the perimeter of his friends while rubbing his hand against his chest. Scarlett's voice was starting to take on that younger sounding tone that she had the night she'd told him of her father. He tried to catch her eyes, but her face was still tucked against Morgan's neck. He ran his hand through his hair and moved over closer.

"Scarlett," he said talking to her in a stern tone. "Look at me," he told her.

Derek looked over at Reid. "Kid..." he started, thinking Spencer was upset that Scarlett wasn't turning to him. Scarlett didn't move, instead she held onto Morgan tighter.

"No, Morgan... make her look up..." Spencer interrupted and touched Scarlett's arm. When she flinched away, Derek held her tighter.

"Reid... don't push her," he said with a hint of anger.

"No... Morgan, you have to make her stop..." Spencer said, ignoring the warning tone in Derek's voice. He reached over for her again and ran his hand over her hair. "Scarlett, come on, crazy girl, snap out of it..."

Derek felt her shaking again and moved over to the sofa. When he set her down, she grabbed for him again, not letting him step back.

"Scarlett..."

"What's happening?" Garcia asked Reid softly as they watched Morgan try to talk to her.

Spencer clenched his fists at his side. "She's going into a flashback," he stated angrily. "She's reliving something in her head and I don't know what she's seeing..."

"Oh, Jesus..." Penelope shook her head. "From then? From what was done back then?" she whispered.

"I don't know, Garcia... I just know it's like re-living hell for her when it happens," he stepped forward again, kneeling down in front of Scarlett.

"Hey, crazy girl, look at me..." he begged. "Please, Scarlett, just see me, okay?" he implored softly, lightly tugging at her arm and touching her face.

When she turned to face him, he could see that distant look in her eyes. She wasn't looking at him as much as through him.

"Scarlett..." he took her hands in his and kissed them. "Please, come on darling, come back to me. You don't want to do this to yourself."

Morgan watched her blank eyed stare warily. "Katy-bird, come on now..." he looked over to Reid. "She's done this with you, before?" he asked.

Spencer nodded. "Haven't you ever seen her like this? You were the one who told me she had flashbacks..." he looked at his friend skeptically.

"Not like this, not where she'd blanked out..."

"She's holding it in..." Reid said quietly. "She's not talking, she talked before..." he touched her cheek gently. "Katy, please... at least tell me what you are seeing, beautiful. I'm here, I'm with you..."

Morgan watched as his sister turned towards Reid's voice.

"You can't be here," she said in a sad child-like voice. "You can't stay... I can't talk, I have to be very quiet and hide..."

Derek stood up from the sofa and moved into the bedroom. Reid heard him punch a wall and wished he could do the same. It hurt to see her like this...

"Scarlett, come on. You are safe, here. With me, Penelope and Derek. We are all right here in a hotel room. You are safe," he told her again and ran his hands along her knees and legs.

"Please, don't," she said in that same small voice as she watched Spencer's hands. "Please don't touch me..." she started to move back, away from him.

"Scarlett. It's Reid..." Morgan snapped at her as he came back into the room. "Look at him... It's _Reid_, not your father..." he stated, hoping his tone might snap her out of this.

"I need to run..." she said, looking around quickly. "I have to run..."

"Fuck..." Spencer said as he grabbed for her arms.

"No! I have to run!" she said shaking. She tried to scramble up the back of the couch, but he moved quickly and held her against him instead.

"No, Scarlett. You don't have to run... I've got you." he told her, holding her close. "I've got you and nobody is going to hurt you, ever again, I promise..." he tucked her against his chest and locked his legs around hers.

Morgan moved to the back of the couch behind them, in case Scarlett managed to get out of Reid's grip. He reached over and stroked a hand across her hair.

"We are all here, baby girl... nobody is going to hurt you..." he added. "You're safe, Katy-bird..."

Garcia moved to sit alongside Scarlett and Spencer. "We are all here, girlfriend. You're safe, I promise," she added her own voice to the others. Taking her hand gently, she rubbed at Scarlett's wrists. "Please just come back to us, sweetie..."

Spencer kissed her forehead as she shook in his arms. "Please, crazy girl, I need you. I need you here with me..." he said as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. He felt her breathing change as she began to sob.

"Reid..." she cried.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"It's okay, beautiful, I've got you," Spencer said. He felt her move as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Scarlett change from wanting to run to holding onto Reid like a life-line. Her sobs broke his heart, but he knew she was back in the present instead of reliving some nightmare.

"Scarlett. Shhh, it's okay now. You're safe, baby girl," Derek brushed her hair back from her face. "Look at me..."

When she raised her eyes to his, he nodded. "You are back now, little one?" he asked her quietly.

Scarlett gave a tearful nod, not trusting her voice. She took the handful of tissues that Penelope handed her and gave her friend a watery smile.

"I'm sorry," she stammered.

"Don't, Scarlett..." Morgan ordered. "Don't be sorry..." he moved around the couch to sit on the other side of his sister. "How long has this been happening, Katy-bird?" he asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I don't know. A long time," she answered as honestly as she could. "I don't have any way of knowing, I just come out of it with lost time..." she told him. She shuddered and Spencer held her tighter.

"Penelope, grab me a blanket from the other room," he told Garcia. "She gets cold..." he explained. To Derek he said, "You've really never seen her like this?"

Garcia moved to help and brought back a blanket from the bed. Scarlett took it gratefully as Spencer tucked it around her.

"No," Derek said watching his sister as she shivered again. He took the one side of the blanket and moved it behind Reid's shoulder so it was covering Scarlett more fully. "Not this, never like this. How many times have you seen it?"

"Twice, like this," Spencer answered and moved Scarlett's legs from being trapped under his. "The first time, I thought it was night terrors... she ran, she got away from me... I had to block her from the door. I didn't want a repeat, so I learned to hold her..."

Morgan shook his head. "I'm surprised you could, she's pretty wiry..."

"Yeah, and she hits, too..." Spencer shrugged.

Scarlett looked up at him and moved her hand from under the blanket. "You never told me I hit you," she said quietly, reaching up to touch his cheek.

"Not hard," he gave her a slight smile. "You didn't hurt me or anything..."

She scowled. "I don't like being out of control."

"I know. That's why I keep talking to you. So you can pull yourself out of it," he said as he took her hand from his cheek and kissed it.

Scarlett slowed her breathing. She fought to control the shaking that was still vibrating through her body.

"You can control it, Scarlett, you usually do," he reminded her. "It's only when something that you've buried sneaks up on you that this happens," Reid told her. "Look at that day at the ledge..." he reminded her. "You fought it back down, by yourself. I watched you do it."

"You helped me get through that too," she told him. "I didn't do it myself..."

"I just talked to you as we walked Scarlett. You stopped the flashback," he stated. "That's where you were headed and you stopped it. I could see it in your eyes."

"I've been working on learning to control it," she said softly. "Sometimes I just can't..."

Morgan rubbed her shoulder. "We all have our inner demons to battle, sis. You aren't the only one who has ever had to learn to control things."

"I know, it's just... it's so much. I don't even know what I'm doing," she admitted.

"Who else has ever seen you like this, besides Reid?" he asked.

Scarlett shook her head. "Mama found me once, after, but she didn't know what happened. I was sleeping in the back seat of her car, with the doors locked. She was looking for me for school, but I'd disappeared. I have no idea where I went or what I did in those four hours that I lost. And a few times with John. He didn't know to hold me," she gave a half smile to Spencer. "He never kept me like you do," she said to Reid, snuggling against him. "You keep me safe," she said quietly.

"Always..." he whispered against her hair.

"So what happened those times?" Penelope asked.

Scarlett shrugged. "I have no way to know. It's locked in here somewhere," she tapped her head. "But I can't pull it out. John couldn't see it coming, so I'd end up running or sitting by myself until it passed," she shrugged. "Spence sees it coming..." she smiled up at him.

Derek frowned. "Where the hell did you run to? He didn't go after you?"

Scarlett raised her eyes to meet her brother's. "Do you see it coming, D? Did you know what was happening, tonight?" she asked, feeling the need to defend John. When he just scowled, she added, "Yes, he always came after me... but until he found me, he couldn't tell me where I was or what I did. Once he found me at my mother's grave, sleeping next to the stone..." she pulled in a stuttered breath. "So, yeah, he came after me... but I wished he could've stopped me from leaving in the first place, when possible."

"How do you tell?" Morgan asked Reid.

Spencer shrugged. "Her eyes look different. Sometimes her voice changes... like tonight. I heard it first, in her voice, because I couldn't see her face. That's why I wanted her to look at me, to see her eyes," he answered.

Spencer saw Morgan look over to Garcia. "I didn't hear anything different..." he told Reid. "Until I saw her staring into nothing, then she started saying things like she had to hide, and pulling away from you like she was afraid, I didn't realize... Whatever I'd seen when she'd have nightmares when she was a kid- it wasn't like this..."

Penelope shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't hear it either..." she jumped a little when her phone vibrated at her side and grabbed it. "It's Kevin," she told them. Garcia put the phone on speaker, knowing Scarlett wouldn't want to hear the information second-hand.

"Kevin, you're on speaker with everyone..." Garcia said into the phone. "Please tell me you have good news..."

"What does Kevin know?" Scarlett asked Morgan quietly.

"Only that we are looking out for this guy, little one, that's all..."

"Okay, bunny, here's what I found so far, but I think it'll take your expertise to delve into this guy any further," Kevin's voice came from the phone.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"This phone number traced back to a cell, the call came in from Pennsylvania," he started. "As near as I can put it, right around Philadelphia. Other calls from that number keep it in the same area. The last call was made only about two hours ago, still Philly area..."

Scarlett could hear background noise that told her Kevin was typing on the computer keyboard. She felt Spencer rub her back lightly as she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Breathe, Katy..." he whispered softly into her ear as she drew in a ragged breath. He moved his hand under her shirt to contact directly with her skin, touching her lightly. "It's going to be alright, beautiful. I'm right here, we are all right here..." he told her.

"He's not close," she pressed herself against Reid. "He's not close and he hasn't been here..." she stated, reaffirming to herself that her family was not in any danger, either.

Spencer held her tighter. "Scarlett, no matter what, no matter where he is, you will be safe... Understand?" he asked, angling her in his arms so he could see her face. When her eyes met his, he kissed her forehead. "Nobody is going to let him get near you ever again. And you are not the scared little girl he used to terrorize..."

"No," she reached her hand out from under the blanket and touched his cheek. "No, I'm not..." she agreed.

Penelope's voice broke in over her thoughts with her next question to Kevin. "What did you find out about Ian Rowan, Kevin? Have you connected him to that number?"

"That is the name on the cell. I found no credit cards or activity under that name, but I did find out he was recently released from the Philadelphia Corrections center, the first of this month to be exact, after being incarcerated for the past ten years. That could explain why there are no credit cards..."

"What was he convicted of?" Morgan asked. He looked over at Scarlett.

Kevin answered after a few clicks on the keyboard. "Two counts of child molestation," he stated. "His name is currently coming up on the Megan's Law listings..."

"Christ," Scarlett said softly. "He didn't stop..."

"That's where I lost the name, Penelope..." Kevin stated. "I looked back for the story leading to his conviction, but nothing comes up under his name..."

"Because he was using an alias..." Scarlett voiced her opinion on the subject. She felt Spencer's arms tighten around her.

"I will look into it deeper, find that name," Penelope looked over at Scarlett. "Thanks, Kevin," she said to the phone. "Connect it all into my watch list on the server, if anything gets a hit, I'll see it..."

"Already done," Kevin said. "I hope this isn't ruining your vacation time..." he stated. "You guys deserve a break."

"Just a little hitch," Morgan told him. "Nothing that's going to drag us back or anything."

"Okay, good. If you need anything else, you know how to get me..."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Penelope said. "I owe you one."

"Not at all," Kevin answered. "See you guys when you get back," he said as he disconnected the call.

"I can connect with my server on my laptop," Penelope told Morgan. "I'm going to see what I can pull up from here..."

Scarlett looked over at her friend. "I want to know, Penny. I need to know. I want pictures too- we have to know what he looks like. I need Mom and everyone to know, also, in case he does decide to come here..."

When she pulled herself out of Reid's arms, she began to pace nervously.

"Scarlett..." Morgan watched her move through the room.

She turned and looked at him. "I can't sit still," she told her brother. "I need to run, Derek. Can we go to the track? Is it too late?" she asked.

"I'm up for it..." he shrugged and turned to Reid. "How about you, kid? You want to join us for a work out?" he smiled.

Reid nodded. "Sure, if you want company..."

Scarlett looked over at him. "I always want your company, farm boy. I didn't know you liked to run..." she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I found out in rehab that I did. It started out as a part of therapy, but I enjoyed it. It's one physical activity that I am actually half good at," he smiled.

Derek grinned. "Half good? He can out distance me on a track, with no problem," he told Scarlett. "He may even give you a race, sis..."

She looked over at Reid. "Really? Good. I'm in the mood to push myself," she smiled at Spencer. "You think you can keep up? I'm fast..." she added a bit of cockiness to her voice.

"Mmm-hmm," Spencer grinned, taking up on her attempt to be playful. "I'm pretty fast, too, crazy girl," he teased.

"Maybe we should make this interesting then... Are you willing to bet on it?" Scarlett crossed her arms, watching him.

"I don't want to hear this wager," Morgan joked. "I'm going to go get changed. Come and knock on my door when you are ready..."

Penelope stood and followed him. "I'm going to hit my laptop... see whatever I can dig out by proxy, from here," she moved past Scarlett and pulled her into a hug. "Have fun and don't kill the boys too badly," she laughed.

Scarlett leaned into her friend's embrace and gave her a kiss. "I love you Pens..." she told her.

"Awe, you know I love you too, Katykins," she said and tightened her grip for a second before releasing her. "Now, go burn off some tension... although I could suggest a few other ways of doing that which wouldn't involve leaving the bedroom," she teased, watching as Reid pulled some clothes out of his luggage. She noticed his ears turn pink and giggled.

Scarlett grinned wickedly before throwing a look over to Spencer. "Another physical activity that he's half good at," she said loud enough for him to overhear.

Reid turned and gave her a look as his face burned red. When he rolled his eyes and headed into the bathroom, she laughed.

Scarlett shut the door behind Garcia and moved into the adjoining bedroom. She took her clothes out and hurried to change, wanting to feel the adrenaline from running pulsing through her system.

Spencer came out of the bathroom, already dressed. He watched her back as she tugged on her running clothes. When she turned and caught his eye, he smiled.

"So, only half good?" he teased.

Scarlett laughed. "Well, now, I wouldn't want you to get too much of an ego," she said lightly.

Reid moved over to her, looking down at her with a grin. "So, what's the bet?" he asked and tucked some hair over her shoulder.

"I have to warn you, farm boy... I am very fast," she said without hesitation. When he just gave her a bored look, she shrugged. "Okay, then, you've been warned. You think you can beat me, you name your bet, then I'll tell you what you'll be doing when I win," she said cockily.

"I haven't ran in awhile, so I want to be able to warm up first," he told her.

"Fine," she agreed with a shrug. "Name your price, farm boy..." she said, wanting to seal the deal.

She watched as he sat and retied his sneakers, not meeting her eyes. He took a minute, staring at the floor and Scarlett huffed and crossed her arms.

"You are really over thinking this, aren't you?" she teased and moved to stand before him. When she put her hands on his shoulders, he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"Move in with me..." he told her.

"What?!" Scarlett stammered, surprised at the intense look in his eyes as much as the words.

"If I win, you move in with me..." he said again, standing up so he was looking down at her.

Scarlett stepped back a bit. "Well, geez, Spence, nothing like asking a girl," she said, trying to make light of the suggestion.

He shrugged. "That's what I want... but you know you'll win, right?" he smiled. "So what is your price, crazy girl..."

Scarlett suddenly became nervous. "Maybe that's too much..."

"Then no bet," he responded. "that's fine. I can understand if you're afraid," he added.

She stiffened a bit at the challenge. "I'm not afraid," she answered hotly. "Fine, then. When I win, you have to sing with me tomorrow night at the club."

"What? Sing... Scarlett, I don't sing..."

"Then you better win..."

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Fine, deal..." he held out his hand. "You win, I'll sing with you tomorrow night at the club, and make a raving ass out of myself..."

Scarlett grinned and took his hand. "And if you win, I'll move in with you and make your life miserable twenty four seven with my OCD," she teased. "I don't see where you are coming out ahead on either deal," she told him.

He pulled her against him and drew her close for a kiss. "I don't see it that way, crazy girl. I can't think of anything better than having you close... OCD and all," he smiled as he kissed her.

"Boy, you will learn quick, I promise. Watch what you wish for..."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The stadium was lit up as bright as if it were a sunny afternoon. Scarlett watched as Reid warmed up, jogging around the track a second time. She bit her lip nervously and looked over at Derek.

"So, Reid can run, huh?" she asked him casually.

Derek grinned and cocked his head. "Trying to get the scoop on the competition Katy? That's not like you and your usual over-confidence," he teased. When she averted her eyes and didn't throw out a quick comment, he shook his head. "You're nervous..." he laughed. "What the hell did you bet?"

Scarlett looked at her brother sheepishly. "That I'd move in with him..." she said quietly.

"Oh boy," Morgan said and rolled his eyes.

"'Oh boy', as in you think he can beat me?" she squeaked.

"'Oh boy', as in, how do you really feel about that, little one?" he asked gently.

Scarlett watched as Spencer reached the other side of the track and moved along the perimeter. She looked back at Derek. "I don't know, D. I can't think of any downside, we are always together anyway," she shrugged, lowering her eyes. "I mean, it's not like I haven't thought about it..."

"But..." Morgan waited for her to finish her thought.

"But..." she sighed. "I'm afraid of rushing things. I'm afraid of this being too fast and not having neutral corners to retreat towards... and I'm afraid that he has no idea of what he's getting into..." she bit her lip and looked at her brother. "What happens if we move in together and he finds a ton of things he can't stand about me?"

Derek tried to hide his grin. "Katy, you've actually got yourself worked up into a state about this, don't you?" When she scowled at him he laughed.

"First of all, baby girl, I am pretty sure since you two are 'always together anyway'," he started by using her own words against her, "that Reid has a pretty good idea already for what you are like. I doubt he'll find a ton of things he can't stand, maybe just a handful..." he joked and grabbed her hand when she took a swipe at his shoulder. "And I think he has a pretty easy going nature, doll. Compromise is a word he can understand..."

"But..." she tried to interrupt and Derek touched his finger to her lips.

"Secondly, I don't think Reid would have just brought this up on a bet. I think he must have put some thought behind it, for quite a while, now, don't you? Because the Spencer Reid _I_ know doesn't blindly jump into things. He's not rushing, little one, he's just pushing a little. Maybe so you'll think about it as a consideration, instead of shutting him down whenever he mentions anything of this nature?" he asked and watched as Scarlett dropped her eyes and blushed.

"Yeah, I thought so..." he grinned. "So he brings up something about a possible future for you and him, together, and you change the subject or shut the conversation down, am I right?" When she nodded, he removed his finger from her lips. "You were going to add a 'but' baby girl?" he asked.

She sighed heavily. "No, no more 'buts'," she told him. "You're right, Derek. Spence wouldn't just randomly throw something like this up. I just haven't been listening."

Scarlett moved to inside the gate of the track, waiting for Spencer to finish the lap. When he trotted up to her, grinning, she smiled.

"Hey you," she said, moving to stand before him.

Spencer cocked his head to the side. "Hey back," he puffed out a breath. "I'd forgotten how much I like this," he said, shaking out his shoulders.

Scarlett nodded. "Maybe we should run in the mornings..." she stated.

"I'd like that," he told her, watching her eyes. "What's on your mind?" he asked, seeing something more than what she was saying.

Scarlett moved closer. "I want to call off the bet..." she told him. Spencer looked over her shoulder for a second and then back. She saw hurt in his eyes, but he only shrugged.

"Fine," he said quietly. "I didn't really like the idea of singing anyway," he stated, trying to joke.

"Spence... I want to call off the bet, because I want to move in with you. It's not really a bet then, is it, if we both want the same thing?" she smiled slightly as she saw confusion cross his face.

"Wait. What?" he asked. "Can you say that again?"

Scarlett laughed. "I want to move in with you, Dr. Reid. I want us to live together..."

She watched as his smile broke across his face and felt her heart trip. "You are going to move in with me?" he asked again.

"Yes, Spence. I'm going to move in with you..." she grinned.

"When? Soon?" he asked stepping towards her. Scarlett tucked back a bit and turned towards the track.

"I hope you are warmed up, farm boy... because you have to catch me," she teased as she ducked away from him. She jogged ahead a little and turned around. "Can you catch me?" she called back to him.

She saw him watch her for about a second before a look of determination crossed his face. She knew he understood and started to run, as fast as she could.

Reid watched as she took off and gave her a few lengths head start before he began to run after her. He had seen in her eyes what she'd been asking. Could he catch her if she was running in a panic, if she got away? It made him more resolute to catch her than any bet ever could have. She was asking if he could keep her safe. He wanted her to know for certain that he would.

Scarlett noted when he started to run and pushed herself to kick into high gear. She wanted him to see how fast she could move when forced. Morgan could never catch her. John couldn't either. She really didn't expect Reid to, but at least, this way he'd have an idea of what he was dealing with, should she ever run away.

Spencer watched her form as he pulled closer to her, noting her sudden burst of speed. He grinned as she pulled away, increasing his own pace. When he was just about an arm's length away from her, he dug in and used his reserves to pass her on the corner. He felt her push harder to keep up until they were side by side again and he let her stride beside him until they lapped the track.

Once they were nearing the starting line, he pulled ahead again, showing her that he could easily out pace her. When he crossed the line and turned back, she stopped short. She bounced lightly on her feet, grinning.

Spencer smiled, anticipating her move and when she took off again in the other direction, he gave chase. He heard her squeal when he caught her around her waist and swung her off her feet.

Scarlett laughed when he easily lifted her from the ground pulling her up against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.

"Okay, farm boy, you caught me..." she joked. "Now what are you going to do with me?" she laughed as she linked her legs around his waist.

Reid held her against his chest and kissed her. He pulled back just a bit and looked into her eyes.

"I think I'm going to keep you," he said.

Scarlett reached up and brushed his hair back from his face and kissed him back. "I like the sounds of that, handsome," she told him.

Spencer hugged her close and spun her in a quick circle. "So do I," he told her before setting her back on her feet. He kept his arm linked around her shoulders so she was tucked against him. When she peeked up at him he kissed her nose.

"So, when are you moving in?" he asked with a grin.

Scarlett laughed. "How about next weekend?" she said.

"How about tomorrow," he countered.

"Cheeky boy," she teased. "We'll still be here tomorrow..." she took his hand and tugged him after her as she headed over to where Morgan was sitting in the bleachers.

"When we go back then," he stopped her and she turned back to look at him.

"Okay, Spence. When we get back... I'll start moving in," she told him. She shook her head at his insistence. "I'm not going to change my mind, pretty boy. You're stuck with me now," she said. "You know, you may end up regretting this..."

"No... I won't."


End file.
